Sham Pain (HIATUS)
by Aster's Descendants
Summary: It was just supposed to be a night of anime drinking games...when did that ever include being transported to another universe and de-aged in the process! Oh well, I got what I wanted, now it's time to reap the consequences.
1. This Blows and Swallows

**Chapter 1: This Blows...And Swallows**

"Drink for every titty shot, the word 'BOOST(o)', the word 'Harem', and every nosebleed," the computer screen told me. "Smash whatever's left of the bottle every time you wish you were Issei...lucky little prick…" I wrote the rules down and posted them on the wall near the TV. _This game will destroy our livers...I'll make an adjustment to one of the rules._ Next to the first rule, I scrawled "Opening, ending credits, and intermission images don't count." _Now we're ready._

So, introductions. I'm James. I'm 22, lived in small towns most of my life, and a huge anime nut. Not much else to say about me.

The doorbell rang, making me grin. "It's open!" I yelled. The door opened and my two friends walked in, a ginger and a brunette, each with their own brand of booze. "You guys ready for one hell of a drinking game?"

"Would we be here if we weren't?" my ginger friend, Parker asked sarcastically. He was tall, with green eyes and a few freckles on his face.

"What anime are we watching, anyway?" Marcus, the brunette, asked. I simply held up a collection of DVD cases showing the same characters, the title in red and yellow. "High School DxD? Isn't that a hentai? Aren't you the good little catholic boy who's supposed to be against that kind of stuff?"

"No," I replied, "It's an ecchi anime, big difference. Hentai is just straight up porn."

"The fact that you know that somehow doesn't surprise me," Parker commented.

I ignored him as I continued. "Ecchi is essentially teasing and fanservice. And not only that, but this one in particular has a good storyline and mythology." I then gestured to the poster next to the TV. "Also, we're making it a drinking game. So we actually need to watch for these things."

"How often do these happen in this show?" Marcus asked, scratching his head.

"Depends on the subject," Parker answered. "Titty shots, usually at least one per episode. Boost, one every fight scene. Harem, every few episodes. Nosebleeds surprisingly only happen once or twice a season. That's a rarity for a show like this one."

"That's a pretty good estimate," I agreed. "I've seen this show only twice, so when I discovered a drinking game for it, I knew we needed to do it."

"You just want an excuse to act like a perv without us questioning it," Parker jabbed.

"Alcohol does make it easier to do that," Marcus agreed.

"Oh shut up you two," I grumbled. "What else would we be doing if I didn't get this idea?" They looked at each other before nodding, conceding the point. "Alright," I clapped, getting my friends attention, "so what do you guys have for your drinks?"

Parker went first, pulling out a six pack of green bottles. "I brought beer! And it's Heineken, not the shitty american ones!"

Marcus took offense immediately. "Hey, what's wrong with a Budweiser?"

My ginger friend deadpanned. "Dude, it's Budweiser. It's like having sex in a canoe."

"How so?"

I answered before my friend could. "It's fucking close to water!" We busted up laughing at my fellow brunette's expression before I went back to setting up the DVD player. "What about you Marcus? What do you have?"

Marcus hesitated before answering. "I brought some Fireball…"

"Whoa, really?" Parker exclaimed. "I didn't think you could handle that stuff."

"By the end of this marathon, we won't be able to handle anything other than water," I quipped. "I may have the wimpiest drinks here, but I can assure you that nobody will be thinking straight by the end of season one."

"What, you have smirnoff or something?" Parker asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, a twelve pack of Angry Orchards. Either way, IT'S GAME TIME!" I put the disk in and went to the kitchen to grab a bottle opener. _This is gonna be great. Anime marathon made into a drinking game, ecchi anime as our subject..._ I opened a drawer and found a silver bottle opener. _The only thing that'd make this better is if I could go in there myself._

When I came back, the main menu for the DVD had come on. I tossed the bottle opener to my friends after popping my own bottle's cap off and pushed 'play all' on the menu. _It'd be great. Have my own Sacred Gear, maybe try to redeem a few characters that needed better development. I'd be down for that._ The familiar introduction of Rias Gremory by spotting Issei and beating Akeno in chess prompted our first shot. _Heck, maybe even getting a small harem of my own._

About a season and 4 bottles of booze in, my friends were passed out on the couch, having drunk most of their bottles in the season finale. What lightweights. But even as I watched Issei kick Riser Phenix's ass, I could feel myself nodding off. I tried my best not to sleep, even just to finish off the episode, but it got harder and harder to stay awake.

 _If any deity is listening,_ I thought, _I want to help those who never got their chance to fix their mistakes. I want to be the one who helps those who need it most._ I yawned and drifted off with my last conscious thought. _I want to be in High School DxD to help people like Asia and Koneko._

* * *

Michael looked at the most recent prayer with interest. He'd seen what kind of person this boy was in the system. He was faithful, that much was sure, but according to the system, his wish was worth more than his actions permitted. Apparently, a lot of faithful had the same problem, but none moreso than this boy.

"What's got your brain all scrambled?" an almost tauntingly innocent voice asked. Michael looked over at the figure who wore a white tunic and a set of laurels over his blond, curly locks. His face was set in an amused smirk that screamed 'I was looking for someone to bug and you just happened to be here.'

Michael sighed, a sad frown taking the place of his usual warm smile. "It's nothing really, Apollo," he replied. "Just a matter of one of the Catholics in this particular universe."

Apollo skipped over to the machine the Archangel stood at. "Well, what about him?"

"Not five minutes ago, he made a sincere prayer to any deity willing to listen, meaning all major pantheons most likely heard it. He wanted to be transported to the world where the supernatural is not as well hidden just to be able to help people like Miss Asia Argento."

"Well, what's stopping you from granting it? He's a good kid, right? I mean, if I remember right, a kid who's _way_ more perverted than him hosts the red dragon emperor's gear, so what's the big deal?"

"It's not really my place to say so," Michael urged. "You may be an ambassador for Zeus' pantheon, but I can't let you interfere with matters involving people of the Christian faith. Especially in this universe."

"Why not? I've seen this kid pop up a few times on Zeus' radar, even when he was just screwing around trying to write some weird story. Each time, the boss would send me or Phantasos to give his inspiration a kickstart. So, I ask again; what's stopping you from granting this kid's wish?"

"Because," Michael sighed again, looking back at the screen, "His actions as a member of the Catholic faith don't add up to the required amount of devotion needed for such a prayer to be answered by the christian system."

"How so?"

"As you know, one of the ten commandments given to Moses is 'Thou shalt not commit adultery,' and even my boss's son expanded on this law when he went to this version of Earth, stating even looking at a woman in a lecherous way is the same as committing adultery in his heart. But this boy, James, has continuously viewed images and videos of this exact product. It's taken a toll on his devotion, causing it to drop." He brought a hand to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose as he sat back down in his chair. "Even going through the sacrament of confession is barely raising his devotion."

"So what you're saying is, because this kid repeatedly broke a commandment, he's not allowed to get his wish to help people he learned to care about?" Apollo crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. "Sounds kinda screwy to me."

"It's not even that I don't want to, I do. It's that if I do, the system would be thrown into chaos. God isn't around to help us anymore, so I don't know how badly the system would crash. Not to mention Lord Jesus Christ, who helped fine-tune the system after his ascension back to heaven, has gone missing since the war between factions," Michael sighed again.

"This is really stressing you out, huh, Michael?" the greek god asked, frowning. The Archangel didn't answer. Apollo thought for a moment before snapping his fingers. "That's it!"

"What?"

"What if we helped the kid out?"

Michael's eyes narrowed calculatingly. "Explain."

"What if we gave the system a reason to accept him, regardless of his background?" Michael didn't reply, instead regarding the greek god with a suspicious eye. "Like say, giving him a mission from the heavens to protect someone?" Michael's eyes widened at this statement.

"Are you saying to...yes that would work. It would prevent the system from overloading at the paradox and allow James to live out his wish to protect these people he wants." He leaned over a keyboard, entering in the proper commands. On the screen showing James' living room, a golden circle shone around the boy for all of ten seconds before he and it disappeared. A moment later he arrived in front of Michael and Apollo, still completely asleep.

Apollo gasped. "I just realized something. Even if he gets there, he won't have any way to protect himself against the big time threats of this world!"

"Which is why I'm giving him a gift. God left the formula for making Sacred Gears before the war. Though I never had enough power to do it myself."

"I can help on that front. Looking back on this kid's life, I think I want to support him as best I can."

"Oh? What makes you say that?"

"I'm a greek god, I can pull a few strings. Besides, Phantasos owes me a favor." Michael didn't dignify that with an answer while Apollo seemed to grin as he continued on his train of thought. "I think I know what to make this kid's Sacred Gear. However, it will come at a cost."

"What kind of cost?" Michael asked seriously.

Apollo's gaze took on a more calculating edge, while the smirk stayed on his face. "What really happened to God during the great War Between Factions?"

* * *

 _My dreams never usually had this feeling of wind. Nor did they usually feel this cold._ I opened my eyes slowly, only to get a shot of adrenaline as I realized that, I was indeed, falling toward the ground. Naturally, I screamed my head off as I neared the concrete, bracing for impact.

That did not mean I was expecting to be caught by my leg about 14 feet from the ground. Due to this, I heard a loud crack and felt the searing pain of my femur being dislocated from the sudden stop.

"Cosa stavi facendo per cadere nella casa di tuo padre santo? (What were you doing to fall into the home of our Holy Father?)" a stern voice asked in Italian, grunting from my weight.

I looked up in an odd mixture of fear and relief at the black slacks and shirt the man holding me was wearing. "You wouldn't happen to speak English, would you, Padre?" I grit out, only to frown. _My voice does not normally sound that high pitched._

The priest pulled me up through the balcony, both of us panting before he tried asking again, only with what little english he knew. "Why you fall here?"

I shook my head, trying to ignore the pain in my leg from where the priest gripped it. "I don't even know where we are."

The priest rose an eyebrow in suspicion. "You not know? This Vaticano."

I froze, processing his words. "What? Say again, please?"

"This is Vaticano. Home of Holy Father, Pope Francisco."

Many thoughts ran through my head, but only one stood out among the rest. _What idiot dropped me in the Vatican when I can't speak a lick of italian to save my life?!_

"Padre?" a young female voice peeped. The both of us turned to see a blond preteen wearing a nun's veil and a blue robe and _holy crap she looks familiar._ "Parsa parlargli inglese...se va bene…(I can talk to him in English...if that's okay…)" The priest nodded as she walked over to me. "Hello," _That sounds like a very familiar voice!_ "My name is Asia Argento. What's your name?"

It took a few seconds to find my voice so I could reply. "J-James. Where am I?"

"You're in the Vatican," Asia responded calmly. "Pope Francis was just elected two weeks ago."

"But that's impossible!" I exclaimed, causing both people to jump. "He's been the pope for over 5 years now! How could he have only just been...wait…" Something seemed to click in place for me. "What year is it right now?"

"Today is March 27, 2013."

 _Great, so not only have I been kidnapped, but I've been deaged and brought back in time. I don't even know how I got here!_

"Are you okay?" Asia looked concerned.

Tears pricked my eyes as I resisted breaking down in panic. The pain in my leg seemed to get even worse. "No...I'm not okay...I'm in another country where I can't even speak the native language, and I'm losing my mind because I've been reduced in age and my leg is killing me!"

A pair of rings seemed to materialize on her hands as she turned to the priest. "È ferito? (Is he hurt?)"

"La sua gamba potrebbe essere ferita, ma in caso contrario, no. (His leg might be injured, but otherwise, no.)"

Asia nodded and placed her hands on my leg. A green glow seemed to emit from them, numbing my leg and cementing my suspicion of where I was. _I'm not just deaged and kidnapped, I'm all that and in High School DxD._ The realization seemed to take all of my energy, causing me to pass out.

* * *

" _James."_

…

" _James."_

...what?

" _Open your eyes, James."_

I did so, only to be nearly blinded by the sheer amount of white in the area. I winced before slowly opening my eyes again.

"Okay," I sighed, "where am I, and who's talking?"

"Turn around," the voice from before answered behind me. I did so, seeing a man with long blond hair wearing an armored, red and white robe bearing a golden cross down the middle. If that alone wasn't an indicator of who this was, then the ten white wings that spread from his back added to his grandiose appearance. A halo hovered above his head as his sea green eyes stared warmly at me. "It's nice to meet you, James."

I stared back uncertainly. "Am I dead or about to die?"

Michael chuckled. "No, and I must apologize for your rather rude awakening. I wasn't expecting you to fall like that."

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked testily.

"It means that while you were meant to go there, it was not meant to be in the air. You were meant to arrive just on the yard."

"Why the Vatican, though? At least in Japan, I'd learn the language in a few months via immersion."

"You're in a world with supernatural beings that could possibly destroy the planet. You need to be able to combat them if need be. At the Vatican, you will be trained in exorcisms and combat so that you won't die in your first battle."

"You mean you sent me to a parallel universe, as well as another country, when the only language I know is English and a few phrases in Japanese, neither of which are the main language of my current location? Not just that, but with beings able to rip me to shreds just by looking at me?" Suffice to say, I was not happy.

Michael sighed, his smile giving way to a small frown. "I will admit, there not much foresight as to that part of the plan. Though, I do know how I can make up for it."

"How is that? Giving me the flaming tongues like the apostles at Pentecost?"

Michael smiled again. "Exactly. Though I will warn you, because of your previous 'actions', it will sting a bit." He began muttering as a golden ball of fire appeared in his hand.

"Wait, what do you-" I never finished because he threw the fireball, hitting me in the mouth while I spoke. He wasn't kidding, it was like three angry hornets flew into my mouth and stung my tongue multiple times. After a few minutes of screaming the pain died down to the point where I could talk right again. "Not gonna lie, Michael, dick move bro. Dick move."

The archangel simply chuckled at me. "I did warn you. Now to the point of why you're here." I straightened up at this. "I brought you to this world to give you a mission."

I rose an eyebrow. "A mission from the Almighty to me? This oughta be good."

Michael stared back at me, the frown back on his face. "Then I will keep it brief. I wish for you to prevent war from breaking out between the factions while you are in this world." My eyes widened. "You are aware of what happens here through the show you watched, yes? I want you to use this knowledge to protect the fragile peace that we have."

"ARE YOU NUTS?!" I yelled. "I can't even protect myself very well, how am I supposed to stop a war from breaking out?!"

"That's why you were given a little boost," Michael replied. I tilted my head in confusion. "There is one more thing I would like you to do. This is a more personal mission from me." I tilted my head further in confusion. "I want you to find God."

"Um...I know I'm currently not in the best mind state, but isn't the big guy dead in this universe?"

"Everyone but me and one other seems to think so. But his body was never recovered after the war. Not to mention that, even with the system in place now, prayers still go to whom they are addressed. It's why your prayer was heard over most others." The world around us rumbled a bit. "Any other questions you have will be answered later. For now, I must give a message to the new Pope about you and miss Asia. Your test will begin when you wake up."

Before I could even ask what he meant, Michael disappeared, and the white faded into black. I knew I still wasn't alone, however, as the reverse shadow around me still hadn't faded, and I could practically feel the gaze of something else. Questions buzzed in my head, many of which were directed about the power Michael talked about.

 _Why me, though? Did my prayer actually get answered?_ The world around me shook as I felt myself begin to wake up.

 **[This should be interesting. I look forward to what you do with your knowledge.]**

* * *

Asia sat beside the foreign newcomer's bed, anxious for him to wake up. The fear in his eyes when he realized where he was with no way to communicate was something she could relate to. Ever since her old home discovered her ability to heal, she'd been moved to multiple places before being brought to the vatican to help heal the previous Pope.

The feeling of not knowing what to say because nobody can understand you was bad enough, but not knowing where you were or how you got there? That had to have been difficult. The cardinals had been called into the main sanctuary with Pope Francis to discuss something important, but she didn't know what. All she was told was to stay by this boy's side since she was the only one who could communicate with him.

 _I suppose it helps to have somebody to talk to,_ she thought bitterly, _but even learning a new language by immersion is difficult._ She prayed quietly that her charge would wake up soon, if only to talk with her some more. Knowing more about where he was from might help find a way to get him back.

A knock on the door startled her from her thoughts. The door opened revealing the priest that found the boy as he fell. "What's his condition, Miss Asia?" the priest asked stoically.

"He's fine overall," the preteen replied, looking to the boy, James, she recalled. "He just needs rest right now." She opened the window, trying to get a flow of air going before she looked back to the priest. "What happened with the Cardinals, Father Louis?"

The priest shook his head. "I'm as in the dark as you are. Though I did hear rumors of an angel appearing before his holiness." Asia's eyes widened. An angel? That must mean something important was happening. She had a suspicion of it involving the unconscious boy on the bed. "The fact that he survived with only a dislocated leg was nothing short of a miracle," the priest continued. "I'm surprised I was even able to catch him."

"Then I suggest you thank God you did," a new voice spoke. The pair turned, only to bow at the new arrival.

"Your Holiness!" Asia exclaimed. "What are you doing here, if you don't mind my asking?"

The Pope smiled at the nun. "Hello, Asia. I came to check on our new guest. It seems the angel was right about him not being from here."

Asia tilted her head in confusion. "What do you mean? James hasn't woken up yet."

"Is that his name, dear?" When Asia nodded, he continued. "When the angel appeared to me, he said that this boy was from another world similar to our own, brought here to train as a bodyguard."

"Another...world? But why would he be brought here? And who would he be guarding?"

"He was brought here to guard you, Asia." The girl's eyes widened at this statement. "According to the angel, he is to be trained in combat and exorcisms so any threats may be neutralized quickly."

"Forgive my interruption, Your Holiness," Father Louis spoke stoically, "but if it's a bodyguard you need for Asia, why not send an already trained exorcist with her? I believe she and the pair of Xenovia and Irina would get along greatly."

The pope shook his head. "While they do perform well for their age, the angel specifically asked for this boy to be her guard. Even from here, I can sense his dormant power."

Father Louis' eyes widened. "Do you mean that he's got a power like her?"

Pope Francis nodded, the smile giving way to a serious frown. "What is said here is only between those in this room and the Cardinals. The angel told me his power was called a Sacred Gear. This is something given only to a special few before they are born, and according to the angel, this boy has yet to awaken it."

Asia had questions about the Sacred Gear, but something told her the holy father wasn't the one to ask about them. So she opted to ask something else instead. "Did the angel say what his world was like?"

"Only that it was like ours, except the supernatural is a much better kept secret."

Asia nodded in acceptance. If the supernatural entities like Angels and Devils still existed, then it wouldn't be much of a stretch to say James didn't know much about them.

* * *

Azazel listened to the conversation with interest from the roof above the window. Michael had contacted him with news of this boy's arrival, with the promise to keep an eye on him. He agreed, as he believed it would be a start to peace between the factions. His subordinates would disagree with it, he knew, which was why he was making this mission something he did personally.

 _A boy from another world with knowledge of the future given a Sacred Gear,_ he thought with a small grin. _Michael, you're trying to seduce me._

The fallen angel frowned as one of the men spoke. He could practically feel the underlying greed in his voice. _A rogue priest in the Vatican? This should be fun..._

* * *

I groaned at the sound of voices reaching my ears. They were speaking Italian, like they were before I passed out, but this time I could understand it. It sounded like they were talking about me.

I kept my breathing slow and controlled, so I didn't alert them I was awake. Why? I don't know. Something didn't sound right though. I know I should be able to, I know I'm supposed to, but for some reason, the way they were talking about me set off a couple of warnings.

None moreso than the Pope. His voice didn't sound like the argentinian man I remember from the few speeches he did that I saw on TV. And even though Asia told him my name, bless her heart, he had yet to refer to me by it. It was the tone that really told me to be careful, though. It was the kind of tone that one uses when they see a thing they really want and know they're gonna get it.

 _Something is seriously wrong here._ I began stirring, catching their attention as I slowly sat up. I figured if I was gonna figure this out, I would have to face the crowd.

"Oh, James!" Asia exclaimed. "I didn't know if you would wake up this soon. How are you feeling?"

I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the incoming headache. "Like I was dragged around St. Peter's Square tied to a drag racer. What happened?"

"After you passed out, I brought you here. Since then, I've just been waiting for you to wake up." I gave the blond a small smile, before looking to the rest of the crowd. More specifically, at his 'holiness'. He looked like his photos for the most part. Mostly bald, white robes, a pair of glasses resting on his nose, the works. But I knew this wasn't him.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of meeting his Holiness?" I asked cautiously.

"I assume you know how you got here?" he asked in reply. I nodded, making him continue. "Then you know what must be done to ensure your mission is successful."

"Vaguely. I was told I'd be trained for a combat oriented position."

The 'pope' nodded. "You will be trained in exorcisms and combat by one of our finest. Father Louis," the man snapped to attention. "You will be in charge of making sure he knows where to go." The 'pope' then looked back at me. "Your training will begin tomorrow. From this day forward, you are an exorcist in training, and it will not be easy. I wish you the best of luck." With that, the two adults walked out of the room, closing the door behind them.

Asia made to leave as well, but stopped as I tugged on her robe. "Don't trust that man," I whispered, glaring at the door. "Whoever that was, that was not Pope Francis."

Her eyes widened. "How do you know that?"

"He's too skinny, and his hair was never that long. I know this because, like I said earlier, he's been the Pope in my world for over five years. _That_ man, no matter how hard he tries, looks nothing like him." _Not to mention, it's way too soon for him to be out of that meeting with Michael. If my hunch is correct, somebody leaked information before I arrived. Probably to the Fallen Angels._

"B-but like you said, it could be a time thing, right? You said he's been in power for over five years, right?"

I shook my head. "Not in this case. The biggest piece against him is the eyes. In my world, the guy had brown eyes, not bright green." Seeing the look of fear on Asia's face, I put my hand on her shoulder. "Hey, relax. If my training goes well, I should be able to find out who this is and what they want. For now, I'll be fine." Asia hesitated, before nodding and going to the door.

"I'll go bring you some food," she decided before leaving the room.

I sighed, leaning back in my bed. _Is this my test, Michael?_ I asked the angel mentally. _Finding proof that this person is impersonating the pope?_ I clenched a fist in determination. _Whatever this is, I'll get this imposter out of here._

* * *

 **A/N: Now I'm probably gonna get a lot of shit for this, but I'm trying something somewhat new here. That said, any constructive criticism is welcome to help make this a better story.**

 **In terms of lore, from what I remember, the supernatural is supposed to be a secret for the most part. So it would make sense that in the DxDverse it's not as well kept as they would like. Meanwhile, in our universe, as far as we know, these things don't even exist.**

 **As always, Review, Follow, Favorite, and I'll see you all next time.**


	2. I Wanna Set This Place on Fire

**A/N: Well...I certainly wasn't expecting this good of a response. Well, here we go.**

 **Chapter 2: I Wanna Set This Place on Fire**

It was about a week into my training that something interesting finally happened. I never left the Vatican to explore the city, as it would be a huge mess if I were discovered by the cops without my passport. It wasn't that bad though, as the Vatican was even bigger than I expected. There were a great many rooms to explore in between my studies of different methods of exorcism.

Asia had basically become my shadow until I told her I knew where to go for my training and I'd call her if I needed to be healed. For the most part, it was swordplay and gun training, at which point I found out my shitty eyesight had been corrected to something considered above normal human levels.

As for the interesting thing, I had been on my way to the part of the courtyard sectioned off for firearms practice when somebody called out to me.

"Hey, kid! Hold up a second." I turned to face the speaker only to pale at just who called out to me. Dude was about a foot taller than me and had mostly brown, shaggy hair with the exception of his bangs, which were blond. The black shirt he wore was half unbuttoned, showing off a bit of his well toned chest. I knew exactly who this was. He chuckled. "Judging from that expression, you know exactly who I am."

I deadpanned at him. "Cut the crap, Azazel, what do you want? I doubt you'd come by here just to make a bit of small talk."

His expression didn't change from his normal smirk. "Aw come on, I figured you'd at least try to be a little polite here."

"Dude, I know exactly what you are. So I'll ask again; what are you doing here?" While I knew how he acted in the show, I didn't think I could trust the Fallen leader at this point in time. For all I knew, he wasn't going down the peace talk route yet and was still trying to keep his subordinates from doing something stupid.

He sighed. "I wanted to warn you about a rogue priest here. He's impersonating somebody very important."

"I already know who he's impersonating. I had my suspicions that he was a rogue priest. What took you so long to get this kind of information?"

"How about the fact that I have the proof of his excommunication that you need?" He held up an office folder.

"I'm going to assume there's a catch to me getting that folder?" I sighed.

"I'm hurt that you would assume such a thing," he replied, placing a hand to his chest in mock offense. I simply rose an eyebrow. "Well, I suppose there is one thing you can do for me in return."

 _How did I know that was coming…_ "So what is it gonna take for me to get that folder from you?"

His gaze turned slightly more calculating. "A promise."

"Can you elaborate on that please?"

"I want your word that should you come across any of my subordinates misbehaving, you will immediately tell me so I can take care of them myself."

I thought for a moment before nodding. "Deal. I can help you discipline your underlings when they do something stupid." He chuckled lightly before handing the folder to me. I quickly opened it and looked through the contents. Pictures of the man impersonating the pope before he actually started filled the folder, along with a detailed report on the man in question.

"The guy's name is Finbar Johnson **(1)**. According to my sources, he was excommunicated for not listening to a cease and desist from the bishop of Phoenix, Arizona. He founded his own little Praise and Worship center that was non-denominational."

"I remember reading about that for a school report. The bishop had urged Catholics not to go there. How did he get here? And for that matter, why would he impersonate the Pope?"

"Because of the other reason for his excommunication."

I looked at the Fallen Angel. "He committed sexual assault, didn't he?"

"The official report is that he pled guilty to one count of sexual assault of a minor."

"That still doesn't answer my question. Why impersonate the Pope, of all people?

"Apparently, one of my subordinates approached him with a job. Impersonate a jesuit who was just elected and start to collapse the Catholic church from the inside."

"Do we know which one? And for what price?"

"I just happened to find the report in the trashcan near my current base of operations. The only thing he's getting in return is a briefcase of fake money, but he thinks he's getting around $3,000,000."

"I'm genre savvy enough to know what happens if he fails," I muttered.

"As much as I want to deny it, you're probably right," Azazel shrugged.

I sighed again. "I appreciate the help. Now I just need to figure out how I'm gonna approach this situation."

He waved off my questions. "I'll let you know when the time is right, and what to do."

I shrugged. "It's about as good as I'll get right now. How will I contact you to let you know when somebody's being bad?"

He tossed a folded piece of paper at me. "You'll figure it out when you have the proper equipment." I unfolded the paper, only to scowl at the numbers written on it. _A phone number? Really? Whatever._ I closed the folder and hid it under my apprentice robes. I had training to get to.

* * *

Over the next month I fell into a routine. Exorcist studying in the mornings, weapons training in the afternoons, and after dinner, I was free to do as I pleased. I usually spent most of my free time with Asia, as I retained the same kind of awkwardness from back home. Meaning I usually just stuck with people that I knew.

My teachers were all strict, but not outright sadists. They would correct me when I screwed up, but were also complete perfectionists. The closest thing to the typical sadistic teacher in most fanfictions was my sword instructor, but that was only when we sparred. Otherwise, he would use the practice blade to adjust my form until I had the movements down. Even (especially) when I got my ass kicked, I knew Asia would always heal me, regardless of whether I wanted it or not. She'd just give me that innocently cute pout that broke my will.

Asia was just glad that I hung out with her. Really, she was too good for this sinful Earth, and I'm pretty sure Michael would agree with me. She and I would often stay up late talking about my world. Or more like, I'd tell her of random crap my friends and I used to get up to before I got here. I never told her about this world being an anime to me. Mainly because I didn't know how she'd take it. I had other reasons, but that was my main one.

"Yeah, then because I didn't know how to say it well, I had to resort to using a pencil and paper and doing picture charades to get my point across."

Asia looked like she was holding in her laughter as best she could. "No way!"

I nodded. "It's sad but true. The bright side was it worked. They knew what I wanted and were able to get it out relatively quickly. The downside was, I couldn't get my phone to connect to the Wifi there, so I couldn't use my translator to help me."

She giggled sympathetically. "Oh no…"

"So, moral of the story, don't go to a foreign country when you've had a tracfone for less than a year." **(2)**

I felt the vibration in my pocket before I heard the codec call from Metal Gear Solid telling me I had a text. The phone was given to me by the church, as I needed to have a way of contacting help when I needed it...or so they said. But hey, it was essentially a free phone that got the job done.

Flipping it open, I knew exactly who the text was from.

 _Asgore: Meet in the yard we first met in at Midnight._

I typed a quick response back before turning to Asia. "That's just one of my many exploits from my time in Japan. Wait'll I tell you about the time I talked Pokemon with a bunch of guys that were drunk off their rockers."

"Oh my!" she giggled before yawning.

"I think it's time for bed." She nodded sleepily as we both got up to leave sanctuary that was usually reserved for daily mass. We hung out there after dinner just to relax and get some privacy from the many nuns and priests that worked here. As nice as they are, they had a tendency to be a little overbearing.

Plus, for some reason, I could tell the big guy himself could hear us. I don't know how or why, but it was a comforting thought.

After genuflecting to the altar, we made our way to the door. A couple of times I had to shake Asia awake until I said screw it and decided to carry her on my back the rest of the way to her room. She squeaked when I picked her up and swung her onto my back, but soon got comfortable and drifted off.

 _Today must have really worn her down._ I stifled a yawn of my own. _Then again, I'm not really much better._

In just a few minutes, we arrived at her room. Using my foot to open the door, I moved toward her bed and set her down as gently as I could. She adjusted herself to be more comfortable before her breathing evened out again. I smiled at the sight before making my way to the door. "Good night, Asia."

* * *

"Making progress with your girlfriend, are you?" Azazel's taunting voice asked. I saw the man sitting on the edge of the fountain, smirking like the gossip monger he was.

"What girlfriend are you talking about?" I deadpanned. "I'm a nerd with basically no social skills outside of 'what anime have you seen' and 'do you play Magic the Gathering'."

"And yet you somehow managed to befriend the church's golden girl in a matter of weeks." I wanted to bite back that Issei originally did it in couple hours, but that would be telling the future to somebody I don't quite trust with that information.

"Is it time to call the guy on his crap yet?" I asked irritably. I was tired and not in the mood for this guy's BS.

"In two days."

"Why the wait?"

"Because if you aren't properly prepared you could get yourself killed." I didn't have a response for that. "Now supposedly, my rogue subordinate is supposed to check on his progress at that time. It will be your job to catch them in the act."

"Who's your suspect?"

"The subordinate in question goes by the name Dohnaseek."

 _Not entirely surprising..._ "And how do you expect me to catch them?"

"You're a Magic Player. Figure a way to do it with what you have in your hand."

I was about ready to commit the ultimate fighting taboo known as a nutshot on the Fallen Angel. "Worst...tutorial...ever…"

"Hey I'm not allowed to interfere more than I already have. Besides, it makes for good entertainment."

I gestured to a random direction. "And if you look at the field where I grow my fucks, you'll notice that it is barren."

A light tap on the back of my head shocked me out of my anger briefly. "Hey, you're on holy ground. Better watch that mouth of yours." I settled for glaring at him. "Look," he sighed, "I hate that my subordinates did this to a guy trying to live his life after he got screwed over.-"

"He screwed himself over, but whatever."

"The point is, whoever did this is going to pay. And I don't mean a light slap on the wrist either."

"I fail to see how that concerns me."

"Look, I'm all for making sure this guy gets what he deserves. But I need your word that you will at the very least keep the perp alive."

I sighed, sitting next to the general. "I'll tell you right now, even with the abilities I'm learning, I don't think I could ever bring myself to kill somebody, no matter who they are. Utterly humiliate, maybe, but not kill. That's something my own upbringing instilled into me. I don't like hurting people, nor do I like being hurt."

"So in other words, you're a pacifist."

I scoffed. "Most Catholics are, believe it or not. The only time in recent memory that was false was during the Thirty Years War between Catholics and Protestants."

"That was the tail end of the War Between Factions. When that battle was resolved, our shaky little ceasefire began. Humans weren't the only ones with extreme casualties on all sides."

I sighed again. "Point is, I won't take a life willingly unless there is no other way. I can't promise to never take a life, period, because that's one plan that rarely ever works. All I can promise is that it will not happen very often when it does."

He smirked. "I suppose that's all I can ask for. Now here's the plan for our little imposter…"

* * *

I watched the fake pope sit on the wooden chair and rub a hand down his face from my position behind one of the seats in the empty audience hall. A month and a half of pretending to be the pope must be getting to him, I thought. Something still doesn't sound right though. Even for a grudge, this is a little extreme for somebody excommunicated for a cease and desist along with sexual assault...why wouldn't he just go after the bishop who kicked him out?

The sound of wings made me duck underneath the row of chairs in front of me. I didn't move until I heard the steps of his landing on the altar. Peeking from the seats gave me a view of the former priest's current boss. The grey trench coat and hat gave away the guy's identity before I saw his face. Why am I not surprised? Though this does answer a couple of my questions…

"Progress report?" the Fallen Angel ordered.

"Nothing new, Lord Dohnaseek," the imposter replied. "The boy currently being trained is making progress, in both combat and his studies. Asia still shows no limits to her own abilities outside of stamina."

"This is the same boy that came out of the sky last month and somehow knew the language after he passed out from shock?"

"Yes, I believe the angel who sent him had something to do with that."

Dohnaseek frowned. "Even so, something isn't right. Even under this kind of training, his Sacred Gear should have shown itself by now."

The former priest shook his head. "I've been watching him. He's never had the right mindset to unlocking it."

"Well, if I knew how that worked," I muttered, "I might have made some progress on that front."

"It's your job to get them to our side and collapse the Catholic church from within," Dohnaseek rebuked. "That was our agreement."

Finbar stood up. "And maybe it would be easier if I didn't need to impersonate somebody that's supposed to be a public figure!"

A spear of light pierced the man's leg, only to disappear a second later. Finbar didn't scream, but only barely. I readied the light gun I borrowed from the armory and took aim as the Fallen Angel readied another spear.

"It seems you've forgotten your place," Dohnaseek growled, his wings popping back out of the trench coat's back. "You are the subordinate, while I am the superior. You receive and follow orders from me, no questions asked." Finbar stared at the being before him in fear.

A shot rang out, striking the Fallen Angel in the hand and dispelling his spear. Both men turned to where I stood, my gun smoking from the recent shot. "Somehow," I observed, "I doubt you're really the superior here."

Dohnaseek's scowl deepened. "Shouldn't you be in bed right now, boy?"

"Not when I know somebody's doing something stupid." I glared at the winged man. "Especially when you're going behind your superior's back."

His eyes widened minutely. "And how would you know about this? How do you know I'm not acting on his orders?"

"Because the man in charge found your little withdrawal report in the trash can. Next time, burn it or shred it." Dohnaseek tsked, forming another spear in his non injured hand. "Where's the real Pope Francis, Dohnaseek?"

"How do you know my name, boy?"

"The boss told me."

The Fallen Angel sighed. "Should have guessed. Now it seems I'll have to-"

"Cut the crap? Yes you will. Where's the real Pope?"

He growled, his glare sharpening. "Instead of cutting crap, I'll just cut YOU!" He threw multiple spears in my direction. I ducked behind a nearby row of seats before reaching for the handle of my other weapon...and yes, I'm calling it a lightsaber. Sue me.

Within seconds, the spot where I stood was a black spot on the floor. Dohnaseek flew into the air, preparing to toss more spears into the row I hid in.

"I suggest you run, Finbar!" I yelled.

"If I could," the former priest replied, gritting his teeth, "I would have gone already!"

I dodged another spear that struck the ground. "Then maybe, while you're here, you can do me a favor as a form of penance."

"What's that?"

"Find and release the Pope. The real one. If you know where he is, you need to explain this situation to him."

"How is that a form of penance?!"

"You were a priest, think it through. NOW GO!"

Getting the hint, the man limped as quickly as he could to the door out of the audience hall.

"Oh no you don't!" Dohnaseek tried to fire a spear at the retreating man, but the shots of energy from my gun got his attention again.

"Your fight is with me, Dohnaseek!"

* * *

Finbar leaned against the wall for support as he continued down the hall. He had long since discarded the white robes and hat, figuring there was no point in continuing the charade. Not when the trainee exorcist was fighting with a Fallen Angel. The fact alone was still a little hard to believe.

He regretted taking this job the moment he was told to impersonate the Pope, but he knew what would have happened if he refused. He sighed, both in regret and pain. He was thankful that the Fallen Angel had not hit anything vital, like the femoral artery.

"Are you okay?" a quiet voice peeped.

He turned to look at the young teen that had become practically joined at the hip to the young man over the past month. He sighed, figuring it was better not to waste a valuable resource.

"No, Asia," he replied, "I'm not. I've been stabbed through my leg."

"What happened?" the girl asked, running up to him.

"I've done something terrible, child...and I'm trying to atone for it."

Asia saw the wound on his leg and put her hands over it. "Let me help you."

* * *

I barely dodged more spears being thrown at me. In response, I fired more shots at the Fallen Angel. Some of them hit their mark, not that they did much other than annoy him. I was getting nowhere fast. I need to throw him off his game and score a critical strike.

"Why do you continue to fight like this?" he asked me.

"Because when somebody does something stupid, I call them out on it."

"So what brought you here?"

I rolled to the left, dodging another spear. "Still working on that one. Here's one; why Finbar Johnson? Why have him impersonate the Pope?"

"He was somebody with a vendetta against the church. He knew how it worked well enough that he could bring it down from the inside."

"But he must not have been very willing if you had to threaten him to do it."

"Even with $3,000,000 on the line, he deemed it not worth the trouble. So yes, I had to give him more incentive."

"So what'd you do? Threaten his life?"

He rolled his eyes. "I may be a threat to the church, but even I'm not that cliche." His eyes sharpened again as he charged another spear. "I simply made it clear that for every time he refused service, his little worship hall would be short one member."

I had to give the guy credit. Not many villains went for the indirect threat of hurting those uninvolved. _Still, I got him monologuing._

I got a shit eating grin on my face. "You do realize that you screwed yourself before you even knew I was here, right?" I commented, deflecting a spear with my lightsaber. Another grazed my arm, making me wince in pain. Even though I'm not a devil, that still burns.

"And what might that mean, boy?" Dohnaseek asked, dodging the shots I fired at him.

"I mean your little conversation with dear old Father Finbar here, as well as our fight, are being live-streamed...right to your boss."

Dohnaseek's attack paused briefly. "You're bluffing."

I held up my phone, raising an eyebrow. "Am I really?" The screen flashed on, showing that, yes, there was an active call to Azazel as we fought. And it was on speaker.

 _"You've been a bad boy, Dohnaseek,"_ the general's taunting voice commented through my phone.

"Also," I added, smirking, "destroying my phone wouldn't do much, considering he's recording this conversation as we speak."

He grit his teeth angrily. "You seem to just have all the answers, don't you?"

"Not all the answers. Just enough to make sure you aren't getting off scot free."

The man released a low sigh, settling his face back to his normal RBF (resting bitch face). "Then it seems my time here is long since done. For an exorcist in training, you did well to dodge my attacks. But next time we meet, I won't go nearly as easy on you." With that, he flew out one of the nearby windows. When I was sure he was gone, I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding as my legs gave out from under me, making me fall backwards. Before I hit the ground, a pair of weathered, but strong arms caught me from behind.

"You did well, my boy," the elderly voice told me. "Just rest now."

I had no complaints and completely sacked out.

* * *

The black void of my mind was back. I knew I wasn't alone, though.

"Who's there?"

 **[It seems you have a pair after all.]** a voice behind me growled. Immediately I facepalmed.

"Oh please tell me Michael isn't as unoriginal as to stick a giant Nine-Tailed Fox in my gut."

The voice chuckled. **[No, he didn't. Michael may be uncreative, but he's not completely unoriginal. I am a piece of Phantasos, a god of Imagination.]**

I rose an eyebrow, looking behind me. "From which pantheon? Because, knowing this universe, they all exist here." The guy looked like Ugin the Spirit Dragon from Magic.

 **[Very astute observation, James. I am from the Greek pantheon.]**

"Why are you in my head? And for that matter, why are you taking the form of Ugin?"

 **[Because I knew you would only respond to a form you knew, and I figured you wanted some originality. As for why I'm here...I owed Apollo a favor…]**

I deadpanned at the god. "Do I want to know?"

 **[It's probably best that you don't.]**

"My first question still stands. Why are you here in my head?"

 **[You know where you are. What do you think?]**

I thought about it for a minute before it hit me like a truck.

"I have a Sacred Gear."

 **[And I just happen to be the spirit inhabiting it.]**

I crossed my arms and sat down. "So if my gear involves some form of imagination, what are the limits to it?"

 **[You aren't even going to ask how to unlock it?]**

"No, I'd rather figure that out on my own."

 **[And why do you say it involves some form of imagination?]**

"Because you wouldn't be here otherwise." Phantasos chuckled again, conceding the point. "Now what could be the limits of something like this? Because even for this universe, it sounds broken as all get out."

 **[Normally you'd be correct. However, because of your imagination specifically, there had to be a limiter placed on certain abilities you know of. Any power you wish to use must come from some form of media you've seen before. However, this does not mean you get to use those powers willy nilly. Any recoil or strain still applies, and god-like abilities are off limits completely.]**

"So I can't even use the Super Saiyan Blue transformation if I wanted to? That sucks!"

 **[So you would rather tear your body into oblivion because of the strain?] I didn't have an answer for that. [Be thankful that we didn't place a limit on which media you could use as a basis.]**

"So when I unlock this thing, I can use any attack or transformation I want?"

 **[To a certain extent, yes. However, once you use one attack, you can only use attacks from the same media you got the first attack from until the end of the fight.]**

"How is the end of the fight determined?"

 **[When the enemy gives up, or when they don't move anymore.]**

That's what usually does it, I thought, mildly uncomfortable.

 **[More will be explained when you actually unlock your Sacred Gear.]**

"Does it happen to have a name?"

 **[It goes by the name Imagination Engine. Not my first choice for a name, but better than what Michael tried to name it.]**

"Sounds mostly self explanatory, and cool. I have a feeling I'll be abusing it a lot."

 **[Only in your battles.]**

"What do you mean?"

 **[This is a tool meant to help you fight against supernatural threats, not cheese your way through school. If you try to use the gear for anything outside of battle, I will use my power to restrain it.]**

"And how do you know I'll be going to school?"

 **[Because I live in your head, therefore I see your memories. In order to keep an eye on Asia, you will be attending school at the same time she does throughout the timeline.]**

"THAT'S BULLSHIT!" I yelled.

 **[Do you have a better plan?]** I pouted, turning my head to the side. **[That's what I thought.]**

I sighed. "Do we at least have a timeline for when Diodora comes here to screw with Asia's life?"

 **[Unfortunately no. If I had to estimate, I'd say maybe a year and a half at most.]**

"So in other words, I need to git gud and fast, otherwise I'm royally screwed."

 **[More like you won't be very useful in the coming battles.]**

I leveled a glare at the god. "Not...helping…" The world around me rumbled, cueing my return to the land of the living. "We'll talk more later."

 **[You know where to find me.]**

* * *

I woke up back in the bed I'd been using since I arrived. I looked to my right and noticed Asia asleep in the chair next to me. Leftover tears stained her face, though why she was crying escaped me.

"Finally awake, are you?" Finbar's voice spoke up. I looked to the door, finding the priest and the Pope smiling at the scene. Behind them stood Azazel, still in his half open button down shirt, smirking as usual.

"Glad you're back, kid," the Fallen general stated.

"What happened?" I asked. From what I remembered, there was no reason for him to reveal himself, especially to the Pope.

Azazel answered for everyone else. "While you were fighting Dohnaseek, Finbar and Asia went to find Pope Francis here."

The ex-priest nodded. "I was in the middle of looking when Asia found me and healed me. I told her I was trying to atone for my actions here and she insisted she help. Roughly ten minutes later, we found a door behind a portrait of Pope John XXIII. Apparently, this door led to an underground tunnel where the real Pope was wandering with no way out."

The Pope continued. "With Miss Argento sitting guard several yards away, he confessed to everything he'd done here. Being completely honest, I almost couldn't bring myself to forgive him."

Finbar sighed at that. "It's still surprising to me that you did."

Pope Francis shook his head. "One thought made me forgive you. If Pope John Paul II can forgive somebody who willingly tried to assassinate him, I can forgive somebody who unwillingly impersonated me." He looked back at me. "After his reconciliation, we made our way back to the audience hall, where we found you unconscious on the ground."

I frowned in confusion. _Then who caught me before I hit the ground?_

* * *

Things mostly settled down after my confrontation with Finbar. The Pope offered to rescind his excommunication in return for saving his life and helping stop a conspiracy. Finbar respectfully declined the offer, however, stating that he could not, in good faith, return to the Catholic church after hosting his own worship center for over ten years. Pope Francis respected his wishes and sent him back home...after his memory was wiped, courtesy of Azazel.

I went back into training, only this time, it got upped a few levels. Instead of just doing drills, I was doing full combat sparring with both of my weapons.

At the same time.

Instead of going for three hours of bookwork in the morning and four hours of sparring with lunch in between, it became nothing but sparring with my instructors. Almost every meal was a healing session with Asia, and I was sorer than a salty gamer on a losing streak, physically speaking that is.

Time passed, as it usually does. Before I knew it, a year and a half had passed and Asia was assigned to a fairly large church outside of Florence. I tagged along, as is my duty as her bodyguard, and she'd done what you'd expect. Heal people when they were brought, get praised as a saint for it, rinse and repeat. I could tell she missed the Vatican, I did too. The priests here had a different look in their eyes than those back in Rome.

The look was one I only saw in people like Dohnaseek...or Azazel. The look of greed. They didn't see Asia as a person. Heck, they barely saw me as a person. All they saw were our abilities. Her ability to heal, mine to defend her. She noticed it about a month after our arrival, and I only noticed a few days before her.

"For a large church, this place is surprisingly...barren," I commented when we were finally alone. The chapel was currently the only place where our conversations felt truly private.

"It's not that bad, James," Asia chided. "The main gathering space is fairly full every Sunday."

"The way they look at us isn't something I appreciate, Asia. I'm sure you noticed it, but they only see us for what we can do, not who we actually are. If I could compare us to anything, it's like yin and yang. You get the looks of awe while I get looks of fear. It's not pretty when I have to be the face of intimidation while you're the one people look to for comfort."

Asia sighed. "I can't control how they feel, and neither can you. We're only human."

I scoffed, smirking slightly. "Doesn't mean I won't complain about it."

Asia giggled, making me smile more genuinely. Ever since we came here, we've basically become like brother and sister. She's listened to me rant and rave about people being idiots here, while I've been keeping some of the more handsy people back and essentially been the one to keep her sane when she feels the stress of her 'job' weigh her down. Seriously, too good for this sinful Earth.

"Come on," I said, standing up from the pew we were in. "Let's head into town and grab some food." She nodded and took my hand, standing up. The chapel, like the sanctuary at the Vatican, felt like the only place to talk and feel like God was listening to us. My guess is that he knew where we were, and only interfered when he needed to.

As we made our way out, the sound of heavy footsteps got closer to us, making us turn to look where it was coming from. A man covered in wounds ran toward the church, only to collapse a few feet from the door. I instantly went on guard, knowing this feeling he was giving off. The opposite of the light, warm feeling of the holy energy surrounding the church, this feeling was darker, colder.

Asia was about to run to him but I held my arm in front of her. "What are you doing, James?" she exclaimed. "He needs help!"

"Look closer, Asia," I replied, pointing to his back. "He's not human. Those are devil wings." _So this shithead showed up here of all places?_

"Please," the devil wheezed, "help me."

"Why are you here, devil?" I asked with authority in my voice.

"I'm on the run," he gasped. "I was only visiting a relative of mine when I was attacked by a passing priest."

I narrowed my eyes at the devil. "What is your name?"

"Diodora. Please! Help me!"

I sighed through my nose before taking a few steps toward him. Asia wanted to heal him, but knew not to move until I declared it safe. I knelt down, making Diodora look me in the eyes. "If she heals you, will you leave immediately?"

He nodded almost too quickly. "Yes I will."

"Do you swear on your family's honor that once you are healed, you will go back to the Underworld the second she is done, no bloodshed, no killing?" I wanted this to end in as little bloodshed as possible, and hopefully prevent the death of the priest following him.

"I swear on my family's honor," he affirmed.

I nodded before lifting him by the back of his neck. "You go back on this word, I will hunt you down, and castrate you. Got it?" I growled. The injured devil just nodded. "Do your thing, Asia." I dropped Diodora to the ground as she moved to him, activating her Sacred Gear.

 _I don't like this. He's planning something, I know it._ I remembered that he was only trying to get Asia excommunicated to try and make her a member of his peerage, as is his MO. But with me here, I didn't know how far he would truly go. In about a minute, he was as good as new, and ready for action.

"I thank you for healing me," he smiled. That kind of fake smile you'd see on a character like Sai from Naruto.

"I'm sorry I couldn't do more than that," Asia apologized. "Your chest will scar pretty heavily."

"It's better than the alternative. Words cannot express my gratitude."

"Then how about actions?" I bit out. I still didn't trust this guy to keep his word.

"Ah right, I will be on my way then." A green circle with the symbol for the Astaroth family lit up beneath him. "I truly appreciate what you have done here." The rustling of bushes preceded the form of one of the older exorcists here arriving, a little worse for wear.

"Stop him! He's a devil that ki-"

 _ **SCHLICK!**_

Anything that priest would have said was cutoff, along with the top part of his head from the mouth up, by a magic blade from the devil in front of us. Blood splashed onto the bushes behind him, as well as onto Diodora's pants and face.

"Now that's not very sportsmanlike," he mock chided. He turned back to us, with that same fake smile. "I hope to see you again soon, Asia Argento." With that, he teleported off.

Asia was in too much shock to reply. Tears were gathering in her eyes as she stared at the body in front of us. I wasn't fairing much better, but my shock bled into anger. _He broke our agreement. He never planned to keep his end of the deal!_

"What's going on out here?" the bishop called.

 _The next time I see him, he so DEAD!_

* * *

Everything happened so quickly. One minute, we're outside staring at the body of a priest, the next we're in a hospital being treated for shock. Another minute, and we're standing before the bishop's desk.

"...and so, it is with great regret that I hereby excommunicate Asia Argento from the Catholic Church."

Asia fell to her knees, weeping silently. I placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her, but the bishop wasn't done speaking. "Now, go pack your things and please leave this church." She only nodded, steadily making her way to the door. "Given your testimony on the sequence of events, Mr. James, we find you not guilty of heresy. You will remain a member of the church." I said nothing, only returning any glares that were sent Asia's way from the priests. "What will you do now?"

I turned my attention back to the bishop the moment the door closed. "My job is to be her bodyguard. I failed that the moment I let my compassion for Asia cloud my judgement. If anything, she needs to be watched now more than ever."

"How do you mean?"

"If my research on these devils is right," which it was, "then this one will most likely be looking for her. My best guess is he's gonna try to get to her when she's vulnerable like this. I need to be ready for him, or others like him." I clenched a fist at my side. "So long story short, I'm sticking with Asia."

The bishop grimaced, but nodded. "Very well. You are free to leave."

I did so without a second thought, heading straight for my sleeping quarters. Within moments I had my clothes packed and ready to go and headed to Asia's room, about to knock when I heard the voices on the other side.

"This will be your best chance to get back in God's good graces," one unfamiliar, yet very familiar, voice said.

"Are you sure about that," Asia murmured, so quietly I almost didn't hear her. I slowly cracked open the door, trying to peak in. "I've already lost everything, what could I possibly have left to give?" The other occupant in the room was another woman with long, dark hair and deep purple eyes. Who this was immediately came to me the moment I saw her…'outfit', which consisted of basically nothing but ribbons covering only the most private parts.

"A better question is," the other female replied, "where else do you have to go?"

I didn't listen to the rest of the conversation, choosing to kick in the door and fire a warning shot that hit the wall behind the Fallen Angel's head.

"What in the name of everything holy are you doing here, Fallen?" I asked, using my commander voice. "The last time we dealt with someone like you, they ran off when confronted after trying to kill me."

Raynare smirked slightly, raising an eyebrow. "Oh? So you must be the exorcist in training Dohnaseek was complaining about."

"What if I am? Look, We've both had a bad day, and considering that I have to hunt down a devil who went back on his word, let's keep this brief. Why are you here?"

Her expression didn't change. "I'm here offering a chance to get back in God's good graces. All you have to do is go to this little church in Japan."

I knew where she was talking about. Kuoh. The city where the supernatural isn't nearly as well kept as it should be. Where the main storyline takes place.

"What would we be doing there?" I asked.

"Just helping perform a few exorcisms around town," Raynare lied. "Nothing too major." How did I know she was lying? I saw what she really wanted in the anime. But here, I could get help from Rias and her peerage when I needed it. There really was no other option. I glanced at Asia before looking back to the Fallen Angel.

"Give us a few minutes." Raynare simply leaned against the wall while I took Asia to the hallway.

"James, what's going on?" Asia asked fearfully.

"I wanted to ask you what our plan was," I replied. "Though if what this Fallen is offering is true, then I get to set one plan into motion."

"What plan?"

"Find that devil, and make him pay for going back on his word." Asia gasped. "Look, this may be our only option to get a place to stay. If we tried to go back to the Vatican, I'm not too sure you'd be welcomed back with open arms."

She looked down sadly. "I know...but where else could we possibly go? And just how do you plan on finding that devil?"

I shrugged. "Consider this a chance to travel for more than just business. I'll be around to keep you safe."

"No matter what?" she looked up-no, not the puppy eyes!

"Y-yeah," I stuttered, a light blush on my face. "No matter what."

She nodded. "Alright. But what about the devil?

My face darkened. "If I see him, I'm gonna castrate him. I warned him I would if he went back on his deal. But that's only if I see him. Until then, I need to keep training until I'm strong enough to take on somebody like Lucifer himself."

Asia placed a hand on my shoulder. "Why?" she asked. "Why are you going so far for my sake?"

I sighed. "Because I already screwed up once, and look where that got us. I'm not gonna let it happen again if I can help it. I want to keep you safe, but I can't do that if I'm too weak or too slow."

"I know. Just promise me you'll rest when you need to."

I held my left hand up and placed my right over my heart. "I swear on St. Michael the Archangel, I will get stronger by balancing my training and rest."

Asia smiled. "Alright, I believe you. Let's go."

I went back to the room, where Raynare was still leaning on the wall. "Only one question."

"And what is that?" the Fallen Angel asked.

"When do we leave?"

* * *

 **1: Yes, this is an actual case of excommunication from the real world. Names have been changed, because reasons.**

 **2: This actually happened while I was in Japan. It wasn't very fun. Though talking Pokemon with the group that was plastered was one fun thing I'll never forget.**

 **As far as this chapter goes, this is one of the longest chapters I've written for any of my stories. When I write, I usually average around 8-9 pages with about 3000-4000 words per chapter. This one was 14 pages long, with over 7400 words.**

 **As a side note, I got myself a beta in the form of RedXEagl3, who also writes some good stuff. I also joined a discord server for writers of these stories, housing much better writers than me. Wanna join? Look here: discord. gg/xEApPAS**

 **Anyways, Review, Follow, Favorite, and I'll see you next time.**


	3. What Part of NO Was Unclear!

**WARNING: This chapter might be influenced by a couple bottles of alcohol...Fuck it, here we go.**

 **Chapter 3: What Part of NO Was Unclear?!**

"Hey, Asia," I asked when we were settled on the plane.

"What is it, James?" she replied.

"Do you blame me for your excommunication?" I grimaced in anticipation of the answer.

It was silent for a few minutes as she thought over her answer. Those minutes felt like an eternity as I waited for the inevitable.

"No, I don't blame you," she eventually answered, surprising me. Before I could ask why, she continued. "You did your job and tried to keep everyone out of harm's way. That devil was the one who went back on your agreement."

"But I could've prevented this from happening," I tried to reason. "I could have told him to screw off and find someone else to bother."

"But then what kind of Christians would we be?" she countered quietly. "Don't you remember what the gospel says?"

I paused for a moment. "Which part?"

Asia folded her hands as she quoted from memory. "'The righteous will ask him, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you a stranger, and invite you in, or sick or in prison, and visit you?" And he will answer them…'"

"'Whatever you did for one of these, the least of my brethren, you did it for me.' I know, but still, would that really apply to a devil like him?" I knew I couldn't get off scot free like this.

"Yes it would," she answered immediately. "Regardless of who they are, who are we to turn a blind eye to those who need us?"

I wanted to refute that, saying that it was easily taken advantage of, but I couldn't. Despite how she worded it, I remembered organizations run by the Catholic Church only helped those who really needed it, and those that didn't were the ones who kept those charities/organizations running with various donations. Even St. Vincent de Paul, which had multiple stores and donation sites in Washington alone, had limits of what they could do and how they could do it.

Of course, her doing that adorable pout wasn't helping much.

"Fine," I sighed, "you have a point. But still, I feel like I should've done more to protect you from that."

She shook her head. "You did what you were supposed to. What anyone else does is not your fault! So stop blaming yourself for other people being stupid!"

I stared at her, wide eyed. _I think I'm starting to rub off on her a bit. I doubt she learned that from anybody else until after she joined Rias._ I held my hands up in surrender. "Okay, you've made your point."

We lapsed into a comfortable silence until the plane took off, Asia looking out the window in awe as we left the ground. I had gotten my phone and headphones out to turn on some music, as it was gonna be a long, 12 hour flight. I offered one of the headphones to Asia and settled in my seat to get in a quick nap. I pressed play and began to drift as the soft tones of Peter Hollens filled my ears. I was out as the lyrics started up.

* * *

 **[Do you have a plan for when you arrive?]** Phantasos asked me. This time, he'd taken the form of the one thing I was hoping he wouldn't...the gigantic, red, Nine-Tailed Fox himself, Kurama.

"Sort of," I replied, trying to ignore his current form. "It all hinges on whether we meet Issei after he became a devil."

 **[What do you plan to do about Raynare?]**

I frowned. "I'm not sure," I answered honestly. "I don't want her to die, but at the same time, I don't think I have enough time to try and redeem her myself before our big showdown for Asia's gear...or at the very least, make her rethink the plan."

 **[What makes you think it will come to that point?]**

"I'm operating on the assumption that it will. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best."

 **[A sound philosophy to live by. So what's your plan should things go south?]**

"Try to awaken my Sacred Gear before the fight begins."

 **[And just how will you do that?]**

"From what I remember, Rias originally told Issei to think of the part of you that you think is strongest. That's how he was able to focus and at least partially awaken his Boosted Gear. So If I can do the same,-"

 **[It's not quite that simple in your case.]**

That made me pause. "What do you mean? Why not?"

 **[I can tell you this much, you're Gear takes the form of whatever it needs to in order to fit the media you draw abilities from.]**

"What does that mean?"

 **[Every time you change your media source, you need to reawaken your Sacred Gear.]**

My jaw dropped in anger. "Are...you...SHITTING ME?!"

 **[No.]**

"What kind of horse crap is that?! I basically have to start from scratch every time I want to try something new?! If that's the case, what would be the point of trying to use new powers in the first place?!"

 **[Because certain enemies will be immune to certain abilities. For example, one enemy could be weak to magic from something like Harry Potter while another is only affected by Chakra from Naruto. You need to choose carefully what powers you use.]**

"Because I'm stuck with those powers until I win against an enemy, right?"

He gestured to his right where the blue genie from Aladdin floated. The blue man slapped a graduation cap on my head and shoved a diploma into my hand, saying, "Yes! He can be taught!"

"Gee, thanks, Robin Williams." I deadpanned, before turning back to the greek god piece. "Do we know what the Fallen Angels would be weak to?"

Phantasos put a furry hand to his muzzle. **[You've established in your fight with Dohnaseek that holy weapons, or at least weaponized light, have little to no effect outside of concussive force. Even then, that force is fairly small when using your light gun.]**

"So we already know light is not very effective." An idea crossed my mind. "What about treating this like Pokemon types?"

The greek god grinned. [ **If that's the case, then they would probably be considered a Dark/Flying type, which would give them a weakness to…]**

"Ice, Fairy, Rock, and Electric. If we ignore the Dark type completely, then that would leave us with three possible weaknesses to choose from. The most logical first choice would be an electric type move to possibly paralyze them, but a rock type move could easily bring them down by trapping them, or an ice type move would freeze their wings."

This continued on for the rest of the flight. Even when I was woken up for food, I would almost immediately pass out once I was done eating to talk strategy with Phantasos.

* * *

" _Attention passengers, we will be landing at the Narita International Airport in Terminal 1 in just thirty minutes. Currently, the time in Japan is 3:34pm. Please remain in your seats until then as we begin our descent. Thank you."_

I nudged Asia awake. "Hey, we're about to land."

She groaned, groggily stretching her arms above her as she yawned. "What time is it?"

"Just past 3:30 in Japan. We should hit the ground about 4:00. After that, we'll hit up the pod hotel to set our stuff down and then go find something to eat."

Asia looked at me curiously. "How do you know there will be a pod hotel?"

"Because there was on the last time I came here, and it was cheap compared to other hotels."

"How cheap?"

"When I was there? About ¥5000 a night. Compared to other hotels back home which were anywhere between $100 and $500 a night, that's pretty dang cheap."

"As long as we have a place to rest before we leave to find the church." Her fears, while a little exaggerated, were not completely unfounded. We were lucky that I still had a steady paycheck to keep us going, thanks to my job both as an exorcist and as Asia's bodyguard. It was easy for me to use a credit card to get what we needed (again, from the Vatican), but I only wanted to use it for emergencies. Case in point, finding a spot for the night.

"By the way, we should probably keep our abilities a secret unless absolutely necessary," I suggested.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Our abilities are something to be proud of, don't get me wrong. But others here may not always think so. It's better for people to not notice us at all than have more after our, or more specifically, your abilities."

Her face saddened a bit. "You're probably right."

I sighed again. "Look, I don't like this anymore than you do, but it's currently our best bet at laying low for a while." She simply nodded and leaned back in her seat. I placed a hand on her head, ruffling her veil a bit. "Hey, remember the song I taught you six months ago?"

"Which one?"

I smiled and sang.

" _All in all it's a good life  
_ _I got what I want  
_ _I can't complain"_

She cracked a small smile, finishing the chorus.

" _I'm living the good life,  
_ _A toast to you now  
_ _It's all Sham Pain."_

Yeah, I taught her a song by Five Finger Death Punch...that wouldn't be written for another three years, but it was only the chorus! If she knew the verses, I doubt she'd enjoy the song as much. But I taught it to her as a way to remind her to be thankful for what she has. Granted, I could have used the older song by Bing Crosby, the one from White Christmas known as Count Your Blessings, but I didn't know the lyrics as well, plus I had 5FDP stuck in my head at the time.

"Now, brace yourself for the landing, because it's gonna be heaven compared to going through customs."

Before they made the landing announcement, they gave us the paperwork to fill out so we could actually enter the country. It was simple to fill out, but if you lost it, you were screwed.

Luckily, when we landed, it was rather easy to get through customs. They signed off on the paperwork, and I did all the talking for Asia (thank God for the gift of tongues). From there, we rode the airport bus to the second terminal where I tried to remember where that pod hotel was. I'm just glad the signs were in English as well as Japanese, because while I could speak it just fine, I still couldn't read very much of it.

Once we had checked into our pods (separate pods, because you know, guy and girl), we walked around the store section of the terminal for a few hours, me introducing her to the Pokemon plushies they had (gen six had recently come out) and her looking curious at everything we found.

"What's this one?" she asked, pointing at one of the Eeveeloutions' plushies. This one was curled up and sleeping, with a smile on its face.

"I forget what they call it here, but in America, they called it Vaporeon."

"It's so cute!" Asia squealed. "What about this one?"

It was a smaller plush that looked like a creepy, fake looking Pikachu. "Oooh, that's a Mimikyu. It's super shy, but it likes to imitate Pikachu. But if you look under the hood...something bad happens."

I eventually pulled her away with the promise that we'd come back in morning before we got on the train to Tokyo. From the various souvenirs, to the various green tea candies (yes, they even had green tea kit-kats), to even the menu for the McDonald's, Asia's curiosity knew almost no bounds. Then again, the menu still took some getting used to for me no matter where I went.

We eventually settled on just getting some ramen and took our seats when we finally got our food.

"In Japan," I remembered, "before eating, they usually say 'itadakimasu' as sort of a prayer...or as a form of etiquette. I forget which it is."

"I think I'll just pray like we normally do, James," she excused politely.

I shrugged. "Suit yourself." She folded her hands and muttered a quick prayer under her breath. "Amen."

"Itadakimasu!" I broke my chopsticks and started eating. About three bites in, I noticed Asia's helpless expression as she stared at the bowl in front of her. I chuckled, getting her attention again. "Chopsticks take some getting used to, but the best way to do it is like this." I broke her chopsticks, and held my hand out. "The first stick is going to rest in the pocket between your thumb and index finger, resting on the tip of your middle finger. That stick will not move. The second stick will go above it, gripped in your thumb and index finger. This will be what moves and grips your food." I used the chopsticks to grip my food as an example. "Now you try it."

She put them in her hand as I showed her, and after I adjusted her grip, she managed to pick up a chunk of her ramen noodles and eat them. The smile on her face was like that of a kid that jumped off the swing for the first time and stuck the landing. It was completely adorable.

* * *

The stars were invisible thanks to the various lights around the airport, but even then, the sky was a sight to behold. Various thoughts plagued Azazel's mind in the past few months, especially concerning Asia's excommunication. Even though it was a week ago to the day, he still had trouble believing it. He'd been keeping an eye on multiple Sacred Gear users since he arrived, but the fact that James and Asia had come to Japan a week after she was given the boot was a little... _too_ convenient.

"What's wrong, sir?" his subordinate asked, shivering slightly at the side winds. Of course, her outfit being nothing but ribbons didn't help that, but he gave up on that pont a long time ago.

"Nothing you need to worry yourself over, Raynare," the smirking man waved off. The woman in question seemed to sigh lightly in relief. "Though there is one thing I wanna ask you." She looked at him oddly. "What do you think of the pair that just came in?"

"Who is that?"

"James and Asia. They both have one, but latter was just excommunicated last week for using her Sacred Gear on a Devil."

Raynare seemed to pause. "I already knew that she had one, but the boy? Are you sure about him?"

"He feels different from the other humans and exorcists here. And I don't think it's because he was hanging around the Pope for so long."

"What do you mean?"

Azazel frowned thoughtfully. "His energy is definitely holy, but it's not from the biblical God. I've been having regular chats with both the kid and Michael about his little sidequest while he's guarding Asia, and the former doesn't feel anything like the latter, despite being around those who do. The energy is different from other gear users also, even those of the two Dragon Emperors."

"So, he's easier to distinguish?" she asked dismissively.

"Not what I was getting at, but not entirely wrong. If what we think happened actually did, then Zeus may have some new trophies to mount on the wall of his palace."

Raynare's eyes widened at the thought. "What could have happened that would warrant a response like that?"

Azazel just smirked again. "Nobody officially knows, but the rumor is that somebody did something stupid to get one of the Greek pantheon sealed into a Sacred Gear."

"Do we know who it was?"

"Nope. But let's just say Zeus won't be sending Apollo on ambassador missions anymore."

Raynare shuddered to think which greek god could warrant such a response. "So you think he has one of the greek pantheon inside his Sacred Gear? Which one, then?"

Azazel shrugged. "We won't know until he awakens it. But one thing I can say about this kid is when he knows what he's doing, he gives it his all."

Raynare grimaced. "I know, he almost shot me when I was trying to recruit the girl."

The general chuckled. "Well, he's basically become her best friend/big brother in the two years that they've known each other, so it's to be expected. Especially after Dohnaseek's little escapade practically tarnished our reputation with him." He wasn't actually sure about that little tidbit, but he operated on the assumption.

Raynare nodded in reluctant agreement. She knew Dohnaseek liked to do his own thing, but even she thought going after the highest mortal in the church was going too far.

"Do we know what his gear even is?"

"No. Like I said, he has yet to awaken it. Keep watch for now, but do not engage unless absolutely necessary. We at least want to be on his good side."

Raynare thought for a minute. "I may have an idea."

"Oh?" Azazel's smirk was only slightly irritating.

"He already knows my face, but I may have a way to gain his trust until they get to wherever they're going."

* * *

It was almost surprising to me that they had something even relating to Sabaton in this universe, let alone the real deal. We were about to board the train in the Narita Airport when I saw their latest (at the time) album, Heroes. I got many an odd look at the sound that came out of my mouth when I found it on a music site, but I didn't care. "Why did you just scream like that?" Asia asked.

"I found my favorite band on a music site," I replied almost reverently. "This is basically my only reminder that I have of home. I don't care how many weird looks I'm getting." I downloaded the band's entire discography onto my phone immediately. _Now I only have another year before The Last Stand comes out._

Asia just sighed before she grabbed my arm and pulled me aboard the train. The seats were mostly comfortable, being cushioned with thick, dark blue covered pads and spaced just enough that there was room to move or put down the small table on the seat in front of you. The space by the door in between cars housed a bathroom and a small vending machine nearby, filled with various sweets that I could barely read. All of them were slightly overpriced, but that was pretty normal no matter where you went.

It was a mostly quiet 45 minute train ride, aside from Asia admiring the passing scenery of the farmland and the city as we passed through it up to Nippori Station. As we disembarked for the next train, we had to pass through a fairly well traveled hallway. Asia, hugging her new Vaporeon plushie, stuck shyly to my side as I looked for the signs to go toward the Kuoh station.

"I'm warning you now, Asia," I spoke up, getting her attention, "Once we leave Tokyo, we'll be in completely unfamiliar territory. We'll need to be on guard for anyone who might be an enemy." She nodded quietly as I went up to the ticket booth to get the tickets for the bullet train. That's when things got...complicated.

The red banner across the screen telling me the card was rejected filled me with dread. I cancelled the order and put the card back in my wallet. _This doesn't look good._

"Something wrong, James?" Asia asked.

"Nah, just gotta clear something up." I pulled out my phone and dialed the number of Father Louis. _He may have an idea of what's going on here._

Two rings later, the man's voice came through the other end. "Hello?"

"Hey Father Louis, it's James."

"Ah, how've you been, boy? I haven't seen you since you and Asia left for Florence."

I sighed. "That's a part of why I'm calling. I'm currently in Japan, but my card was rejected for some odd reason. It was working fine when we got here, and even this morning when we got some food in the airport. But when I tried to get tickets to the next city over, it flat out rejected my card. Is there something wrong with my account?"

The Italian priest had become a part of the finance committee around the time Asia and I left for Florence, and was the reason I got my debit card. The main limit I could spend per week was usually around 500 euros, but a month before Asia was excommunicated, that limit had been raised to about 1500 euros. Why, I didn't know, but I didn't complain. But even with the plane tickets here, I shouldn't have come _that_ close to the limit for the week.

He looked up my account before humming in thought. "That's strange," he remarked.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"It's saying you've made some odd purchases here. And it seems somebody might have stolen your information."

I frowned seriously. "What purchases are the weird ones?"

"Given the information you've provided, I can already rule out the plane tickets and food, as well as the hotel, assuming that what you did when you landed."

"That's correct."

"That leaves the purchases made to the Pokemon Store?"

"I bought Asia a stuffed toy as a souvenir. "

"Have you made any other purchases after that one?"

"Aside from food in the airport before we got on the train to Tokyo, no. I haven't used the card for anything else."

"Then I know what to look for. I'll unlock it for the next ten minutes, but any longer, and you risk losing everything."

"Don't worry, that'll be just long enough to grab our tickets and get on the train."

"But make sure you have everything you need in that time," he warned sternly. "Because once I close the account, it will remain inaccessible for the next week until we figure out what happened and get you a new card."

 _That's gonna be a problem._ "Well, crap. Then what are me and Asia going to do for food until then?"

"I don't know. That's your problem until we fix this. I'm sorry, but I have to go. Just take care of yourselves. I'm activating the card...now." With that he hung up and I rushed over to the ticket machine again, this time succeeding in securing our tickets.

I sighed in a weird mixture of relief and anxiety as I walked back to Asia. "Okay, so apparently, somebody stole my card info when I wasn't looking. As a result, my card was deactivated the moment I got our tickets to the train, which means that we'll be stuck on funds for a while."

Asia started panicking. "But what are we gonna do about food? Or a place to stay?"

I scratched the back of my head. "I don't know. If nothing else, we can just stay at the church when we get there, but in terms of food...I just don't know. We'll cross that bridge when we get there." Asia seemed to calm down a little bit as we got on the train, though she was hugging her Vaporeon a little tighter.

* * *

It was another hour when we finally pulled into the next station, but it wasn't Kuoh. Apparently, the bullet train didn't go that far, and we had to walk the rest of the way. I pulled up the GPS on my phone and punched in the name of the church we were going to. The result made me wince.

"It's saying the church is about 45 miles from here, 72.5 kilometers."

Asia sighed. "Are you sure there's no other way to get there?"

"Until we get my new card, we're basically broke. So unless they have a free way to get to Kuoh quickly, I suggest we start walking."

"I can help you, actually," a different voice called behind us. I turned around, quickly drawing my lightsaber, but not activating it as I stood in front of Asia. In what could be described as her civilian form, stood Raynare, recognizable only by her straight brown hair and purple eyes. She wore a pink short sleeved shirt that hugged her curves and a pair of capris that left little to the imagination.

I glared at her stoically. "What do you want, Fallen?"

She put her hands up in the universal form of surrender. "Easy there, little boy. I'm not here to fight."

I jerked my head toward a nearby alley, not changing my expression from a calculating scowl. "Alley. Now." She shrugged and walked in, Asia and me following behind her. We stopped about twenty feet from the entrance before I spoke up again. "How were you going to help us?"

"I can get you both to Kuoh, but it will come at a cost."

"How's that? By flying us there? Because the last time I did that…"

* * *

"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU, AZAZEL?!" I screamed into the night sky as we flew past Big Ben. This normally wouldn't be that much of a problem, except he was holding me by my robe and he was completely hammered.

"Have a little fun once in a while, boy!" the drunken general replied cheerfully.

"This isn't fun! This is SUICIDE!"

"Oh, you're just overreacting. Here, let's go to the top of that giant wheel thingy and look at the city from there!"

"HOW ABOUT NO!"

* * *

"...It wasn't under the best of circumstances. Not only that, but going off of your build, you wouldn't be able to keep a good grip on us if we were to go at the same time. What would be your plan then?"

It was subtle, but I saw her twitch at the mention of her thin, yet toned, build. _She may be a supernatural being,_ I thought, _but strength means nothing if you didn't have a good grip. Working in a warehouse taught me that much._ I could see that she knew this too.

"I know you don't exactly trust me for being a Fallen Angel, but-"

"No, but I do have a bad experience with most of the supernatural beings I've met. This is just me being cautious."

"Fair enough. But the point is, how else are you going to get there?"

I scowled. She still had a point, I had no clue how to get there aside from walking. Add to the fact that I don't think Asia could handle walking all that distance, _wait where did that come from?_ She may be innocent, but she's not completely weak. At the same time though, walking nearly 45 miles with a bunch of luggage isn't easy for anyone, especially somebody like her.

"Make me a promise then," I responded, keeping my face in a calculating scowl.

"Go on," Raynare insisted.

"Take Asia to Kuoh, but when you get there, let her find her own way to the church." Asia seemed ready to object, but I held up a hand. "I say this because knowing her luck, somebody will be around to help her when she needs it while I'm not there. Not just that, but considering how heavy our luggage is, it would take over two hours just to go five miles at Asia's normal pace. That's an 18 hour walk including breaks in between. At least this way she'll get there quick enough to find a spot to rest for the night."

"What about you?" Asia asked. "You said at _my_ normal pace it would take two hours to go five miles. How long would it take you?"

"Considering it's mostly a straight shot from here on the road, it'll take me about an hour and a half for every five miles, including the occasional break. So, roughly twelve hours to get there on foot. And considering the training I've been getting since I arrived at the Vatican, it could be faster."

Asia still didn't look happy, but relented and agreed to the plan. Raynare rose an eyebrow at me. "Is that really it?"

"No," I snapped. "I want her to be safe. If she is harmed in any way, or if this promise is broken, I will hunt you down and make sure you feel every bit of pain you caused because of it."

Raynare shrugged uncaringly. "Sure, fine, whatev-GAH!" Her flippant response was cut off when I forced her to look me in the eye by grabbing her by the jaw. She may have been taller, but it wasn't by much, probably six inches.

"Do not test me right now," I growled. "Since we left the Vatican, I've developed a bit of a big brother sense for when people try to harm her. In other words, I find the cause, I get rid of it. Do you promise to keep her safe?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Why should I make a promise to you for her safety?"

"Because if you don't, I will go through every stray devil, priest, and Fallen Angel you send at me until I find out who harmed her and take them out myself." My grip on her jaw tightened. "Starting with you."

I saw her eyes flash with anger before she calmly sighed and placed her hand on mine, making me relax my grip. "I swear on my honor as a Fallen Angel that I will keep her unharmed until you arrive in Kuoh," the Fallen Angel grit out.

I nodded before completely releasing her. "Then go. I'll see you guys tomorrow, if not tonight. Stay safe, Asia." With that, I walked out of the alley and got on the street to Kuoh.

 _This is gonna be a long walk._

* * *

Raynare couldn't believe the gall of that boy. To think he had the nerve to threaten her, a Fallen Angel of all people, when she could have quite easily ended his life before he knew it. Twenty minutes since the two left the alley and her jaw was still sore where he gripped it.

 _I should have ended him right there,_ she thought angrily. _At least I'd have more of a reason to join Kokabiel._ She halted her thoughts right there. _No, I'm trying to get back into heaven, not start another unwinnable war._ She could see Kuoh right in front of her and began her descent.

Thankfully, it was still the middle of the day, so not only did she not need to worry about Asia not seeing where she was going, but she didn't need to worry about anyone on the edge of the town seeing them land because most people were still at work and nowhere close to the forest she landed in. She made sure Asia landed on her feet before she let go, staying in the air herself as the former nun turned to thank her.

"I'm sorry about James," she apologized. "He takes his job as my bodyguard very seriously."

Raynare scoffed. "Doesn't give him a reason to practically rip my jaw off. For a human, he's got quite the grip."

Asia shook her head. "He does that for good reason. He's made deals with people before, and always made sure they kept their end of the bargain. When they didn't, though, he always hunted them down. There was only one time where he's still looking for the man who broke there deal."

"You mean the devil you healed, right?"

The young teen nodded. "James told him that if he failed to keep his end that he would...um…"

"Yes?"

"He...would...hunt him down...and…" Asia looked like she wanted to pale and blush at the same time.

"Spit it out already!"

The nun took a deep breath before practically vomiting her words. "He said that he would hunt him down and castrate him!"

Raynare didn't know how to react to that statement. If she was being completely honest, he looked more like the kind of guy that did more talking than actually fighting. Heck, his attitude spoke of a guy that was all talk and no action. Hearing something like that from a guy like him was almost laughable.

But her memory was quick to remind her of his scuffle with Dohnaseek. The welts on her fellow Grigori's chest made it look like he went to the middle of a paintball war with nothing but a thin shirt as armor. While the light had little to no effect on Fallen Angels, since they were still beings of light by nature, the concussive force packed into each blast from a light gun was the equivalent of that of being shot with a frozen paintball. Mildly irritating, but relatively harmless in the long run.

Suddenly, the words didn't sound so farfetched coming from James anymore.

Raynare sighed. "Look, I've done my part. Just start looking for the church, and I'll meet you there."

"Why didn't you bring me directly there?"

"Because it's in the middle of a residential area of a big city, and it's the middle of the day. It'd be pretty obvious if someone like me just flew into town and landed at the church in broad daylight. Also, consider it the chance for you to explore the town on the way there. I'm sure you'll find something to do."

Before the teen could object, Raynare flew off, her mind still clouded with thoughts about the abilities and attitude of the two teens she was tasked with scouting. _Or I guess,_ she thought bitterly, _now it would be three. That stupid pervert is still a factor, if Kalawarner's shift has anything to say about it._

* * *

It was just passed sundown when I finally arrived in Kuoh. I rarely stopped walking, usually only to find a spot to eat and/or use the bathroom. When I had finished the remnants of my lunch, about twelve miles out of town, I started on a jog for the rest of the way.

The training at the Vatican did wonders for my stamina, as I didn't tire out nearly as badly as I use to before I came here. Before, I could only go about 7 miles on a run maximum, as I was originally trying to get into the military. While that was a normal run, I usually completed it in just under an hour. Now though, I could sprint that in a quarter of the time going uphill.

Currently, I sat in a tree in one of the parks finishing the little bit of snacks I had leftover from the trip here. I was glad I made it to town when I did, because not only were restaurants still open that had actually good food, but I was almost out of food, and my card still hadn't arrived. So until I made it to the church, I was completely broke.

Shaking my head to clear it from the bad thoughts led me to looking toward the distant Mt. Fuji. The sunset tonight was simply beautiful. The sky was practically painted in various shades of pink, purple, and orange, which made Mt. Fuji look like someone used a crop duster to paint the west side of the mountain. And it was just amazing.

So much so, that I almost missed the sound of frantic footsteps coming up the trail to the fountain. I looked down and saw the source of the sound. The young man looked mostly average, messy brown hair, dark brown eyes, almost nothing remarkable to look at. What caught my attention was his energy.

It felt similar to Asia's, if not more potent...and darker, like it was corrupted. I knew this meant one thing. This guy had a Sacred Gear, and was reincarnated into a devil. In case it wasn't obvious, it was our favorite pervert of the series, Issei Hyoudou. And it seemed he was coming to the fountain where he died…

I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. _If I remember correctly, this is where he meets another one of the Fallen...but was it Dohnaseek? Or was it the other chick? Dammit, I'm losing my ability to remember future events! And even then, the most that I really remember is season 1._

"I've been here before," Issei muttered, breaking me from my thoughts. "Yes, I remember. This is the park where I took Yuma on our first date."

"Where you died, right?" I called out, making him jump. He turned around frantically, trying to find me...and failing. "I'm up here, buddy." He looked in the tree, zeroing in on me almost immediately.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"Just a guy looking for the man upstairs, if you know what I mean." I couldn't stop the laugh from bubbling up at the pervert's clueless expression. "I know, it confused me too when I first got the mission. Anyways, what's your name?"

"Issei...Issei Hyoudou."

"Sweet. Name's James. Now what's your deal?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I overheard you muttering to yourself. You could say I can feel when something isn't right in the air." Not entirely a lie, but not exactly the truth. "You having a bad case of deja vu or something?"

Issei's gaze went to the ground. "Something like that."

I crossed my legs. "Do tell."

He seemed to debate it before sighing. "It all started last week…"

He told me everything, from meeting Raynare (or Yuma, as her alias was), to introducing her to his fellow perverts, to the date where he was stabbed. He seemed to slow down at that part, though.

"So basically, you're unsure if you dreamed the last week up or not. Understandable...But let me ask you this."

"What?"

"If it was a dream, why didn't you wake up when you felt the pain of being stabbed? One would think that jolt of adrenaline at the moment of impact would have been enough to bring you out of the dream."

He seemed to agree. "That's what I was thinking. But what's making me doubt it is the part where nobody but me remembers her. Even her number was deleted from my phone. It's like…"

"Like she just vanished, right?" He nodded. "She was pretty thorough. That's a standard procedure wipe that all supernatural creatures do when they've been exposed."

"What do you mean?"

"The last week did actually happen. She is what's known as a Fallen Angel. Normally, I'd say I have no idea how you're even alive after being stabbed through the gut, but then I'd be lying. The best theory I have is you've been reincarnated as a supernatural being yourself. And judging from your energy signature, I'd say you are a devil."

Before the question could leave Issei's mouth, he froze in fear. I noticed him staring at the spot ahead of him, rather than up at me, and could make a guess as to what he was looking at. Though the amount of killing intent in the air kind of gave them away.

"Well this really is unfortunate," Dohnaseek growled as he stalked up the trail. "Me running into you, that is." If it wasn't for the fact that he was a legitimate threat to the both of us, I'd have laughed at the Fallen Angel's little quip. Issei, motivated by his fear, turned to run away from the park. Dohnaseek didn't let him get very far, as he cut him off by flying over and landing in front of the pervert. "Such cowardice. I can't abide lower class beings."

Issei backed up, trying to get at least a little bit of distance. "No way...how can this be real?"

Dohnaseek held up a hand. "You're friends and master are nowhere to be found. You show no signs of disappearing nor any circles being deployed." He threw his hand out to the side, lighting it with the sparks of the light spear. "Therefore, I will assume you are nothing but a stray, is that correct?" The spear completely formed in his hand, and he readied his arm to throw it. "That would mean killing you won't be a problem!" As Issei ran, a shot rang out, hitting the Fallen Angel's hand making the spear vanish.

"You know, Dohnaseek," I called out, "we really need to stop meeting like this."

The trenchcoated man scowled. "I thought you were back in the Vatican, boy."

I hopped out of the tree, and grinned mischievously at him. "Come on, me? Stay in one place? With _my_ job? Naaaaah." My stare turned calculating. "Though, I do have to wonder if you're really so desperate for a fight that you'd go after a newly reincarnated devil just for s&g."

Dohnaseek glared at me. "I warned you that the next time we fought I wouldn't go nearly as easy on you. It seems this is your final day on Earth."

I simply chuckled. "Did you think that I'd been sitting on my ass for the full two years since I'd seen you? No. I've been training. I'm even stronger now than I was back then." I began concentrating on my chest, thinking only one thought. _I need the power to protect the innocent. Come on…_

"You seem to like bluffing, boy," he spat, forming another spear.

 _Come on…_

"We'll see how much you laugh with a spear in your throat."

 _Almost there...just a little more._

He launched the spear.

"What are you doing," Issei yelled. "Move!"

 _Found it._ "POWER UP!" A bright flash blinded nearly everyone, but that became irrelevant to the new weight that settled around my belt. I grinned almost maniacally. _Oh goodie, a nostalgia trip!_

"What is this?" Dohnaseek demanded.

"This," I replied, taking the buckle of my belt, "is the power of a nerd's imagination. IT'S MORPHIN' TIME!"

Lightning struck as I held the buckle morpher in front of me. "Dragonzord!" Another flash later, and I stood in a new, form fitting suit of green spandex with a white diamond pattern with a gold chestplate over my shoulders. To finish the look, a green helmet vaguely shaped like a draconic beast covered my head, the open mouth serving as my lens while a silver, human shaped mouth covered mine.

"DragonRanger Sentai?" Issei noted with confusion.

"Close enough," I conceded, pulling out a curved sword. "Now, I suggest you run, Issei. Call for help, run home, I don't care. Just get out of _here._ "

"What about you?"

"I've fought this guy before. Now go! And if you ever find your boss, tell them the local exorcist wants to have a friendly little chat."

Issei didn't know how to respond to that last statement, so he just grabbed his bag and ran. Dohnaseek, surprisingly enough, didn't fire a shot after him or try to stop him from running. He just kept his focus on me.

"What is this power?" He asked again.

"This is my Sacred Gear," I responded. "And it's the key to taking you down."

"Just what is its name?"

I smirked underneath the helmet. "Imagination Engine. And you're right about one thing, Dohnaseek."

"And that is?"

"Only one of us is walking away from this encounter alive."

"Glad to know we agree on something."

With that, we launched at each other, wordlessly screaming our battle cries.

* * *

 **A/N: So, for those that actually tried join the discord server from the link posted, I have an excuse. Basically, roughly a week after I posted, the guys in charge deleted the server and started a new one...apparently they wanted actual participation instead of lurking. Here's the link to the new one:** discord. gg/TGPM9pH


	4. The Rebel's Prayer

**Chapter 4: The Rebel's Prayer**

Issei didn't know how long he'd been running for, but he knew for a fact that he had to get away. _What's going on? Why did that guy want to kill me? Who was that other kid?_ Thoughts like this ran through his head as he got closer to his house.

"Hey," a monotone, childish voice called out to him.

He stopped running and turned, facing the speaker only for his eyes to bug out of his head. In front of him stood the unofficial school mascot, Koneko Toujou. The white hair and childish appearance was enough to confirm her identity, but the piercing yellow eyes sealed the deal. And she was staring at him with a mask of indifference. But he'd seen that look in a girl's eye before. She was hiding her immense disgust for him right now.

"I heard what the other guy was saying earlier before you ran." He simply tilted his head in confusion. "The boss already knows he wants to talk."

"What are you even doing here?" Issei asked. "Were you stalking me or something?"

"It'll be explained in the morning. Just get home."

"But what about-"

She cracked her knuckles. "Go before I start punching low."

He felt a shiver go down his spine. For some reason, despite her small build, he knew that he wouldn't survive a hit from her. And he knew that when someone threatens the jewels, you just don't argue. He simply nodded and ran home.

Koneko turned around, bringing a hand to her ear where a red glyph lit up. "The perv is safe. I'm going back to the fight."

"Excellent," her King's voice replied. "Kiba, Akeno and I will be there in just a few minutes."

"What's the plan for the Exorcist kid?"

"For now, we'll see how he stands up against this Fallen Angel. If needed, we will intervene to chase him off."

"Understood."

She had many suspicions about this boy, especially because he was an exorcist. But one question rang through her mind. _Why didn't he try to kill the pervert on site like the Fallen Angel did?_ Instead, he told her new housemate of the existence of the supernatural and that he was now a part of it. _But why?_ She shook her head to clear her thoughts. Those questions would be answered once she saw who won the fight.

With that, she quickly made her way back to the park.

* * *

Rias brought her hand away from her ear. Akeno had already begun preparing the circle to take them to the park, and Kiba was sitting on one of the couches in front of her desk.

 _An exorcist that didn't try to kill a devil on site? That's a new one._ She knew it was rare, but it wasn't impossible. No, what surprised her was that he could tell her servant was a very recently reincarnated one. Not only that, but kept civil as he revealed the supernatural to Issei. Many questions piled up in Rias' mind about this exorcist.

Even when he first arrived in Kuoh, she could feel something...off about him.

"The circle's ready, President," Akeno announced.

Rias nodded. "Right. Let's go see what this is about."

The three of them stepped into the circle and teleported in a flash of red. When the flash died down, they noticed they were pretty far from the battle, though they could hear it going on in the distance. Almost immediately, two energy signatures popped onto everyone's radar. One of a Fallen Angel, the other a very confusing mixture of holy energy.

"Why are we so far from the fight?" Kiba asked.

"I figured since we're only gathering information that it would be better to take the stealth approach," Akeno replied with her usual smile.

"It's a good thing you did," Koneko agreed, approaching the group. "It's been over ten minutes since they started, and the kid's power boost is helping him keep up with the other guy."

Rias rose an eyebrow. "Does he have a Sacred Gear?"

The freshman nodded. "Yeah. But it's not one I've heard of. He said it was called Imagination Engine."

"Do we know what it does?" Kiba asked seriously.

Koneko's face deadpanned even more. "It turns him into a super powered idiot."

"Oh come on," Akeno giggled, "you can't really mean that."

"He turned into a Super Sentai…" Rias opened her mouth to call bull. "He confirmed it after the perv recognized the spandex and helmet."

The Gremory heiress closed her mouth before sighing. "Well, we won't know anything standing around here. Remember, this is an information gathering mission. Do not engage unless you are targeted."

"Right," the peerage affirmed.

* * *

Metal clashed with light as though they were the same density. The Power Sword (not the Sword of Evil, the actual Power Sword) this form gave me was doing work. While it was still difficult to land a hit on the Fallen Angel, I wasn't nearly as vulnerable now as I was when I faced him in the Vatican. He used his light spears as his own swords, but two hits dispersed each one, causing him to try and create some distance. I wouldn't let him keep it for very long though.

"I will admit," Dohnaseek observed, "your ability with a blade has improved since our last encounter."

"Training tends to do that," I replied, "though it could also be the Power Ranger form just giving me excellent sword skills."

He said nothing else and prepped more light spears. I readied my sword to deflect them in response. Instead of charging in for close combat, however, he began launching them like projectiles at me.

My sword began glowing as I swung, deflecting and dispersing each spear that came near me...at least most of them anyway. A couple of them got through my guard still, grazing me in the process. When the volley stopped, I ran at my opponent and jumped, slashing across his chest multiple times.

He was forced to land when I grazed one of his wings, and on the way down, I kicked his stomach to get some distance.

"Amazing," he grunted, "Your Sacred Gear gives you all of this, yet you just awakened it?"

"Yeah," I panted lightly, "and the best part is this isn't even a Balance Breaker."

He scowled again. "In that case, I need to eliminate you quickly."

"You can try, buddy. You can try."

Taking that as a cue, we launched ourselves at each other in a furious display of sword skills. Every shot he took, I parried. Every slash I made, he blocked. It was almost like a dance of death...or to quote the card from Magic, a Blur of Blades. The difference with this being that we didn't get weaker from the strikes. This was the scene the Gremory peerage (minus Issei) walked into.

"Oh my," Akeno commented, "They certainly have skills with a blade."

"Yep," Koneko nodded.

"I remember hearing that Exorcists are required to study the art of the sword when they're in training," Kiba thought with a calculating frown.

"Except this goes beyond that," Rias eventually said. "Akeno, do you feel it?"

"Yes, president," Rias' queen responded. "It'd be impossible not to, considering his appearance."

They could tell my Sacred Gear was giving me a boost, mostly in strength and stamina, but also in...for lack of a better term (and to my everlasting shame), flamboyant showmanship. Almost everything I said was accompanied by some form of dramatic arm movement. To Rias and her peerage, it was the amusing kind of dramatic movement found only in kid shows. Koneko, on the other hand, had a look on her face that said 'total cringe'. Not that I blamed her, I thought the exact same thing.

Though my distraction of noticing them cost me my advantage. Dohnaseek landed a hit to my solar plexus and kicked my head, knocking me to the ground. I tried to get up, but a strong hit from the Fallen Angel knocked me back a few steps, causing me to demorph.

"Well, look at that," Dohnaseek mocked. "It seems you've run out of steam."

I just smirked. "Not yet." A flash revealed another morpher on my left wrist. This one shaped like a white Pterodactyl. "I'm just getting started. White Ranger, Dino Power!"

In the span of one second, a white tornado blew around me while I jumped. Pieces of my suit came together until I hit the ground. When the tornado cleared, I stood in a white ranger suit with black markings along the sides of my chest and limbs. To finish the look, another helmet covered my face, this one with a red lens rather than a black one and a crest shaped like the head of a pterodactyl on the front.

Rias' eyes widened slightly. "Abare Killer?" she muttered, though I still heard it.

"Try the American version, girly," I replied, taking out another sword. "This is the form of the White Dino Thunder Ranger."

Dohnaseek readied himself. "How many forms are you going to take before you give up, boy?"

"Depends, how many Power Rangers are there again?" The Fallen Angel growled. "The point is, I needed something that none of the other ranger forms had that this one does."

"And what's that?" Dohnaseek scoffed.

"Less bad acting from a kid's show?" Koneko offered in her normal deadpan voice.

"That too," I conceded, making Akeno giggle, "but most importantly, speed."

"Just what do you think you can-" He never got the chance to finish as I ran, faster than the untrained eye could see. Back and forth around my opponent, each pass giving him a new slash on his body until I stopped in front of the group of Devils.

"That's what I think I can do."

"I-Incredible…" He was on his last legs now. We both knew this. Turning back to him, I saw him spread his arms, spawning enough light spears to surround us both in a dome. "This is the end! Just DIE ALREADY!" He brought his arms together, launching the spears at me.

Time seemed to slow down as the spears got closer. Using my Drago Sword, I deflected the first spear, then the second, then a third, until it looked like I had recreated the final boss fight of Kingdom Hearts 2. Once they stopped coming, I made my final move. Using my superior speed, I ran at Dohnaseek again. This time, however, instead of running back and forth cutting him to ribbons, I only slashed once.

The Fallen wordlessly dropped to the ground, his mouth open in a silent scream and barely alive. I demorphed, nearly falling to the ground myself in exhaustion. I stayed standing, however, if a little top heavy. _Wait what?_

Feeling the weight of something around my neck, I reached into my robes, pulling out what appeared to be a brass pocket watch. I knew better though. I'd seen these back home a lot when some of my neighbors would bring the sacraments to the old soldiers' home in town. _When did this get here,_ I thought, before looking up at the now star filled sky in realization. _Are you serious right now, God?_

Looking back at Dohnaseek, I could only grimace and sigh in resignation as I made my way to his broken body. I could tell what needed to be done, but I didn't like it. It was the course of my training that I dreaded more than sparring. It was slow going, but within a minute I stood in front of his face.

"It seems you won this encounter. But what will you do about the others?" he wheezed.

I shrugged, wincing at the pain in my shoulders. "No clue," I admitted. "I've been playing it by ear this whole time, so all I can do right now is keep doing what I have been."

He chuckled bitterly. "I suppose that's all we can do."

I pulled out my phone. "I'll make a call to Azazel. He can get you patched up so you can face punishment again."

"No," he immediately declined. "I've already screwed up too much. You know who I really work for. And you know just what kind of person he is."

 _That's right,_ I thought darkly, _Kokabiel isn't exactly the forgiving type, and he's been trying to reignite the war between factions because he's bored._

"Therefore," he continued, "it'd be better for you to end it right now."

"I cannot do that," I refused. "You know the kind of guy I am, so you know for a fact that I can't justify killing you, even if you are a giant shithead."

"So you would rather I die to Kokabiel?" I couldn't respond to that. "If you won't do it, then find someone else. I'd rather die a warrior than bleeding out on the ground."

I grimaced at that, but couldn't refute it. I pulled out my lightsaber and turned it on. "Just one more thing." I stabbed my sword into the ground, turning to the group of Devils. "You might want to move away for this." I turned back to Dohnaseek, making the Sign of the Cross. "Will you make your Act of Contrition?"

* * *

As Dohnaseek muttered the prayer, Rias seemed to know what was going on and ushered her peerage back near where they teleported.

"What's going on, President?" Kiba asked, still very much on edge.

"A form of Last Rites," she replied somberly.

"What do you mean?"

"In the Roman Catholic Church, the ritual of last rites is given to those on the verge of death, as the name implies. However, it varies on the situation. In this case, the priest leads the dying in the Act of Contrition, a prayer basically saying they know they've screwed up and wish to make up for it, and then in the Renewal of Baptismal Promises."

"But if it's just praying," Koneko countered, "why can't we be around? The headaches from invoking _His_ name are a pain, but not completely unbearable."

"Because of the last step," Akeno muttered, catching everyone's attention. She had a small frown on her face. "When I was younger, I read that the next step after Renewal of Baptismal Promises is Holy Communion." Realization dawned on Kiba's face, though Koneko still had doubts.

"So he eats a bread cracker, they say a few prayers, and they call it a night?" Koneko asked.

Rias shook her head. "No, not in this case. Though the method is unclear, Catholic priests have the power to imbue things with holy energy. Anything from a rosary to holy water. This is something that has an effect on the bread and wine they use in their Mass, essentially turning them into a piece of Christ himself." The four of them flinched at the name. "There's a reason Catholics believe the bread and wine become _his_ body and blood during consecration. It's because only their priests know how to imbue them with enough energy to do so."

"So why is it being distributed now?" Kiba asked. "He's already dying, so what's the point?"

"In this case," Akeno answered, "communion is given under the form of Viaticum. Food for the Journey to the afterlife."

* * *

This made everyone look at each other in confusion as one question passed through their minds. _Why do that when the supernatural_ has _no afterlife?_

I pulled my sword from the ground, pocketing the host vessel. The Last Rites ceremony was something I always hated doing, even in scenarios for my training. All it did was remind me of how squishy humans really were. But getting the pass from Michael to be allowed to do it in the first place was something I didn't expect. Administering the rites to my fallen opponent only hammered in how surreal it was.

I looked back at the Fallen Angel in question...before my eyes widened. His wings had begun turning white. "Your wings," I gasped, "they're brightening up."

Dohnaseek sighed peacefully. "I feel it. My connection with Heaven has returned," he seemed to frown slightly in confusion, "along with my connection to the Almighty."

"So you know he's still here somewhere?" I asked.

He nodded lightly, looking relieved. "I will look for him on my way to Purgatory."

I smiled bitterly. "Thanks." I positioned my lightsaber over his temple. "Goodbye, Dohnaseek." I slammed my blade down, the resulting death causing him to burst into a flurry of black and white feathers. I could tell what it symbolized.

Not completely forgiven, but trying to make up for it.

 _He's on his way now._

 _ **[You did well in this battle. Going as far as to give Last Rites to your fallen opponent was something I didn't expect.]**_

 _I wasn't expecting it either. But I'm glad I did._

 _ **[Is that because you saw the results of his redemption?]**_

 _Partly._

 _ **[What's the other reason?]**_

 _For some reason, I don't know why, but I feel like his soul found its way to the man upstairs._

Phantasos hummed in confusion. _**[Didn't your knowledge of the show state that supernatural beings have no form of afterlife? That once they die, they cease to exist?]**_

 _Yeah. Like I said, I don't know why, but I can feel that's what happened._

 _ **[This will warrant more investigating later.]**_

I nodded. _Yeah. But for now..._ "You guys can come out now," I called to the group of Devils. Slowly, they made their way out of the brush and onto the path near me. They saw the mess of black and white feathers and looked at each other in confusion.

"Did another angel show up while we were gone?" Kiba asked.

"No," I replied. "Dohnaseek is on his way to redemption. That's what these feathers mean."

Rias frowned. "How would that be possible? Supernatural beings have no version of the afterlife."

I shrugged. "The same way Moses was able to part the Red Sea. We all know He works in mysterious ways, after all." I started walking out of the park. "I'll probably see you all again soon. I'm exhausted."

"Wait," Kiba requested, grabbing hold of my shoulder to stop me. "Are you an exorcist?"

"I am indeed. Don't worry, though. I won't be after you unless you do something stupid." I gestured to Koneko. "Your little friend can attest to that much."

The small girl stiffened. "How did you know I was here?"

I smiled again. "Because what idiot would let their servants run around alone with new powers they didn't understand?" Rias seemed to pout minutely as I turned back to her Knight. "Why do you ask, Pretty Boy?"

"Have you ever heard of the Holy Sword Project?" he demanded softly.

I frowned. I knew why he was asking, but didn't think he'd be after answers this soon. "From what I remember, that project was run by an excommunicated priest. After it was shut down, he went off the grid. He, along with one other, are used as examples of what to avoid becoming in my profession." I sighed. "Look, any other questions will have to wait until we see each other again." I started walking away again, only to stop a few feet from the gate. "Oh yeah, who's the head honcho of your group?" I already knew, but they didn't know me, therefore I had no reason to know about them.

Rias spoke up again. "I am. My name is Rias Gremory, and these are my peerage. Who might you be?"

I smirked again. "I might be St. Patrick of Ireland. But I'm not. I just wanted to tell you to let the pervert know what to expect as a devil in the morning. Because what happened here was just careless. Next time, he may not survive an encounter with another being like that." I didn't give them a chance to respond and walked off.

Remembering what I wanted to do, I pulled out my phone and dialed. It rang a couple times before my main contact with the Supernatural picked up.

"This is new. What's going on, kid?"

"Hey Azazel, I got some news to share with you. And I'm not sure if you'll like it."

* * *

Finding the church was not a problem. Following the road up the hill was a simple matter of walking for half an hour. I arrived at the broken gates in time to see Raynare and Azazel walk out the door. Azazel still had his usual smirk, but Raynare's face was torn between a glare and...relief?

"Hey, kid, you finally made it," Azazel greeted.

"Evening, Azazel," I nodded back. "I won't lie. Dohnaseek and I weren't exactly on great terms, but he put up one hell of a fight before he went down."

Azazel chuckled a bit. "Yeah, he always was the fighter of our little group."

"Not just that, but he helped me awaken my Sacred Gear." The both of them perked up at this. "Apparently, it lets me turn into a Power Ranger form of my choosing, and it doesn't have any sort of recoil until I demorph. At that point, it's mainly exhaustion."

"Most Sacred Gears have that little side effect after the first awakening," Azazel replied. "Is it limited to just what you call Power Rangers?"

I shrugged. "For now it might be, but who knows? It might be able to expand into anything else that pops into my head." I grinned maniacally. "And that's one place you really don't wanna be."

Raynare scoffed. "Why? Because you'll have some dirty fantasy?"

I shook my head. "No, because the imagination of an otaku and shitposter is nothing but internet memes and really annoying videos." I rose an eyebrow. "Do you really want that in your head too?" Raynare had the decency to look mildly uncomfortable at that thought. I looked back at Azazel. "Is Asia still awake, or is she sacked out?"

The words that came out of his mouth made me freeze in place. "You mean she wasn't with you?"

"Did she never show up here?"

"I was under the impression that she stayed with you when you arrived."

"At which point, the moment we got off the train, Raynare was given permission to bring Asia here." I turned a glare to the Fallen Angel in question. "Where the hell did you drop her off?!"

She bared her teeth at me. "I dropped her at the edge of town, right where the road leads in! It was still midday when we got here, and I didn't want to be seen!"

I wanted to argue more. I wanted to ask her why she didn't use her human disguise, but I couldn't. Why? Because I knew that Issei would've found her, and that would have caused a whole slew of problems. I cursed mentally. _How could she not find the church? It's literally the only one in town! Not just that, but I taught her the phrase for 'where is the church'! What could have happened?!_

 _ **[Calm yourself, James.]**_

 _Calm? How can I be calm when the person I was supposed to guard is lost in a city the size of Seattle with no way of speaking the language?!_

 _ **[Because you know what it's like in Japan. Even without the Gift of Tongues, you were able to function well the last time you were here. They know what most foreigners look like and can speak English to the best of their ability to get their point across.]**_

I couldn't argue against that. I took a few breaths to calm myself, before turning back to the road. "I'm gonna go look for her," I decided. "I might have an idea of where to start, but I can't be too sure. I'll be baaaaaa-" I never finished my sentence as my body chose that moment to give out. The last thing I heard was Azazel's infuriating chuckle.

* * *

Azazel caught James before he hit the ground. "Let's get you inside. We'll start looking for your girlfriend in the morning." On reflex, James' body twitched in protest, making the Grigori leader chuckle again.

Raynare looked at the scene with mixed emotions. She knew they couldn't do much while taking care of this human. But at the same time, they needed Asia for the ritual if they wanted a chance at taking over heaven.

 _But is it really worth that?_ a small voice in her head questioned. After what she just saw, she wasn't too sure. Even after only a few negative interactions, it was obvious to her he cared greatly for the little ex-nun. It was almost sickening to her. But at the same time, she couldn't fault him for it.

It made her question whether working for Kokabiel was worth it. She was sure just a couple days ago that this would be her ticket back into heaven. But now she wasn't so confident.

"What's eating you, Raynare?" Azazel asked, breaking her from her thoughts. Apparently, they had walked into the church's back rooms without her realizing it.

She shook her head. "He's an interesting one, that's all."

"Oh? Interesting how?"

"I saw what he did for Dohnaseek, how he restored his connection to Heaven. If it's that simple, why haven't we thought of doing that?"

After setting James down on a bed, the Grigori leader brought a hand to his chin thoughtfully. "Probably because the Angels told the exorcists that we were just as bad as the Devils because we fell from grace. What priest would want to try to redeem somebody that's fallen as far as we have? Even then, who's to say it would work?"

"But then why did it work for Dohnaseek? He was given the sacraments as part of his last rites, and as a result, got his wings to return to white."

Azazel shrugged. "I don't know. But I have a theory." Raynare gestured for him to go on. "A lot of Christianity is based around how you fit into God's plan, how you can serve God. However, what most people who aren't Christians seem to miss is that you have to be _willing_ to do any of it. And I don't mean like the kind of 'willing' like your parents said you would and gave you no way to back out except to begrudgingly accept your fate. I mean like hands down, no outside interference, completely up to you, willing. In Catholicism especially, there's a strange centering on making up for past mistakes, and once again, you have to be willing to do what you need to in order for it to work."

Raynare scoffed again. "Sounds like a cult of masochists."

That got a small chuckle from Azazel. "In some cases, you might be right. Anyway, this attitude applies to every one of the sacraments, including Confession." He brought his hand back to his chin thoughtfully. "My theory is that Dohnaseek truly sought to make up for his actions, and when little Jimmy over here saw that, and gave him the Last Rites, the effect of such an act was made visible." He huffed a silent chuckle. "Seems that point continues to be hammered in."

"What point is that, if your theory proves to be true?"

"Even in death, _He_ still works in mysterious ways."

* * *

My head was pounding when I woke up. The light streaming through the window told me it was mid-morning at the least. I massaged my temples as I sat up. The room looked unfamiliar, and very rundown. As I was about to question where I was, memories of the night before rushed to the forefront of my mind. _That's right, I'm in the church. I need to find Asia!_

The moment my feet touched the ground, the door to my room opened, revealing two figures I really didn't want to see at the moment. Raynare and another exorcist with a crazed look in his eyes. His straight white hair fell just past his chin and his exorcist robes were wrinkled, indicating he didn't have any other set. In case it wasn't already obvious, it was Freed Sellzen.

"Whatever's happening," I grunted, putting my shoes on, "it can wait until I get Asia back here."

"Ooh," Freed grinned, "Not even three seconds in and I already like you!"

"I will duct tape you to the wall, and sew your mouth shut." I was not in the mood for any bullshit today.

Freed chuckled, going into a full on laugh a few seconds later. "Sounds like a fun day."

I looked at Raynare. "What do you want?"

"You collapsed in exhaustion. Azazel wanted me to make sure you don't leave to do something stupid."

"I'm not," I denied, getting up. "I'm going to do my job and look for Asia."

"The hell you will! I've already got two other Fallen Angels looking for her. So sit down and rest!"

"I'm not about to let someone else do my job when I'm perfectly-"

 _ **BANG!**_

The shot from Freed's gun hit the wall behind me, almost grazing my cheek on the way.

"I feel like we'll get along well," Freed chuckled, "but our relationship won't last long if you don't know how to listen to your superiors, little boy." I knew he was serious, so I cautiously sat back down on the bed.

 _ **[Patience, James. You'll get your chance later.]**_

 _Yeah...All I can do is wait. Dammit._

"Like I said already," Raynare spoke up, "I already have two other Fallen Angels looking for her as we speak. In the meantime, you have a mission tonight from the top brass. So rest up."

"Is it a solo mission?"

"Yes."

"Then why is the Jashinist here?" I pointed at Freed.

Said exorcist tilted his head. "What's a Jashinist?"

"A man that kills to please a god more bloodthirsty than the entire Norse Pantheon combined and who is nigh unkillable himself...also completely off their rocker."

Freed shrugged, shaking his head. "I don't kill for a god. I kill all the shitty devils because I can!"

"Regardless," Raynare interrupted, "he was here in case you tried to walk out before I could tell you your mission. There are some stray Devils in the area that need to be taken care of. If you really need the reassurance that she's fine, you can look for her while you're out."

I had no other way to find her, so I agreed to take the mission. She gave me the address of my first target and the two left the room.

 _I need to expand my arsenal for my Sacred Gear, and fast._

 _ **[While I would normally agree with you there, you need to get used to your current power before trying to get more.]**_

 _How do we know what a Stray Devil is weak to?_

 _ **[I would think that would be obvious.]**_

A thought came to me in that moment. _I know what I want for my next powerup._

 _ **[What might that be?]**_

I grinned at my ceiling. _Look in my memories for something called Hellsing. You'll understand._

There was a pause as he looked through my head, finding what I was talking about and giving an almost evil sounding chuckle. _**[Oh yes, I don't doubt that even the Four Satans would would have problems if you got that.]**_

 _He may have had a few screws loose, but he was a hell of an exorcist._

 _ **[After tonight, we'll begin trying to awaken that media form.]**_

 _Works for me._

* * *

 **A/N: So, updates may be slowing down a bit. Why? Because for those who haven't already heard on the discord chat, my dumbass is trying out for American Idol. At the time of posting, August 28th 2018, it will be four days from now. Here's hoping it works.**

 **As for this chapter, I felt it was a little exposition heavy, but my awesome beta RedXEagl3 said that he thought it was the best one yet. So I leave it up to you. Review, Follow, and Favorite, and I will see you all next time.**


	5. The Nerd's Pissed! Everyone Run!

**Chapter 5: The Nerd's Pissed! Everyone Run!**

My mission was one fairly close to where Rias and her peerage were taking down Viser. Apparently, this stray was one that killed her master and escaped here when the power went to her head. _I sense a trend here…_ Her name was Arima, but she usually went by Ari, according to the mission file. She was reincarnated by a devil that I didn't care to read the name of, but eventually killed him after losing herself to her power when he got a little handsy.

 _Again, I sense a trend._

 _ **[I will assume that it belongs in the Fanfiction room I've been forbidden from going in?]**_

 _Yeah, let's just say while it's not entirely unbelievable, it's a cliche of that section._

"Oh this really is my lucky day," the creature in front of me giggled raspily. Her body had mutated into a cross between a lion, a bear, and a shark. She had four legs that were bear paws, a scaly shark tail, and the body and mane of a lion. The only part that wasn't completely deformed and mutated was her torso...and yes, she had huge boobs. "A human that walks right into my trap, and it's a stupid kid trying to play exorcist."

"It's not playing if you actually succeed and know what you're doing," I replied frostily. She cackled loudly, launching a barrage of lasers from...her boobs. Fast as they were, they had nothing on Dohnaseek's light spears. Flicking open my lightsaber, I deflected the shots side to side. "Is that all? Because I'm seriously not in the mood."

The stray seemed to snarl and cackle at the same time. "A feisty one, aren't you?" She lashed out with one of her insectoid claws, trying to crush/shred me. I quickly jumped away, gaining quite a bit of distance. "I'm going to enjoy tearing the flesh from your bones!"

"No," I countered, pulling out my gun, "you won't." She lunged at me as I pulled the trigger. The blast of light blew off one of her arms in splatter of gore, causing her to scream in pain. She didn't stop moving, however, and I jumped to the side in order to dodge her now uncontrolled tackle. The end result was the building losing a wall.

She seemed to tank the impact pretty well, despite her injuries from my holy weapons slowing her down.

 _Well, let's get some info from her._ "So what piece were you revived with? A pawn? A bishop?"

She turned herself around before she answered. "My former master revived me with a rook. I'm surprised you have an inkling of how the peerage system works, little exorcist."

"Oh goodie, a tank," I muttered before looking back at her. "Let's just say that while I disagree with the practice, I know how the system works. It was something I learned recently from another Devil."

The stray growled. "Then you know what kind of system it is."

"Like I said, I disagree with the practice, but yeah, I know how it works. Which begs the question of why you let yourself get to this state."

"My old master was holding me back!" she snarled. "All would tell me was to control my strength. That I was always going for overkill when the targets were already beaten. Add in the fact that all he cared about was whether or not he had a hot piece of ass to play with when we were around, and I got sick of it!"

"So what, you ran off like a kid throwing a tantrum?"

She laughed raspily again. "Only after tearing his dick off and making him eat it. Which I'm going to do to you now!" She went for the tackle again, only to miss me by an inch. In response, I shot my gun at her, hitting her back and tail. This seemed to piss her off even more as evidenced by her eyes going completely red.

 _Time to end this._ I whipped my left arm out to the side, calling forth a morpher. The weight settled around my wrist as a familiar white pterodactyl stared back at me. "White Ranger, Dino Power!" The white tornado blew around me for a second before I stood in my suit.

The stray devil looked at me in confusion before throwing back her head in a mad cackle. "What the hell is that supposed to be? A little costume change for a confidence boost? Don't make me laugh!"

"Try this on for size then," I growled, taking out my Drago Sword. The blade extended and I began running. Every slash made a thin, glowing yellow line wherever I struck, and she screamed out in pain with every hit. I stopped a few feet away and heard her fall to the ground.

"Damn...you…" she growled between groans of pain.

I powered down and pointed my gun at her head. "I'd say some 'when you get to hell' quip, but you don't have an afterlife to look forward to. So I'll say this instead; you wasted your second chance." I clicked the hammer back. "Game over. GG." I fired.

* * *

 _ **[A little melodramatic, don't you think?]**_ Phantasos asked. It had been a few minutes since I killed the stray, and I was currently looking around the city for my missing charge.

 _Maybe. I never was good at epic lines, but even more so when I'm pissed. The fact that I still haven't found Asia is not helping my mood in the slightest._

 _ **[Then take a break for a few minutes. Try to clear your head.]**_

I sighed. _I wish I was physically old enough to drink._

 _ **[Didn't they have one of those odd cafes here that you were a fan of?]**_

 _In Tokyo they did. I seriously doubt they have one here, and if they did, this wouldn't be the time to go to one._ Then a rather large, red building caught my eye. In blue letters, the logo for SEGA sat on all four sides. _That, on the other hand…_ In case it wasn't obvious already, what I found was an arcade.

Arcades in Japan were weird compared to America. They were usually multi-floored, with claw machines on the first and second, then the video games taking up the third floor and up. This one was only 3 floors high, compared to Tokyo where they had arcades that were 6 floors high. As a result, only the first floor had claw machines while the other two were filled with video games. The things in the claw machines varied from plushies to keychains, to various anime themed items.

All for 100 yen per try.

Oh yeah, I was doing this.

I checked my pockets to see how much change I had, only to be sorely disappointed at the six 100 yen coins I had. _Welp, we'll see if I find something worth trying for._

Almost immediately something caught my eye. A chibified Blue Eyes White Dragon plushie from Yu-Gi-Oh!. It was surprising that they even had one, considering how old the show and card game were. Only one thought entered my head when I saw it.

 _Asia would love that._

It was at that moment that I remembered what I was doing in the first place and my mood soured. I silently promised to get it for her when I found her and left the arcade in a huff.

 _I don't have the time or money to waste on this. I need to get to the church and calm down before I do something stupid._

Something like missing the devil tailing me from the arcade. That I totally noticed and didn't ignore like an idiot. Yep. Totally got her.

…

What? She was definitely on my radar. I totally got her.

…

…

Okay fine, I completely missed her…

* * *

Koneko watched as the exorcist from before walked into the arcade. She had been tailing him since he left the site of the stray devil they were to take down. He seemed to be in a foul mood since he finished the job. Rias had given her permission to tail him to make sure he was only going after the stray, and to her relief and slight disappointment, that seemed to be the case.

His mood seemed to brighten when he found the arcade. As he looked in the various claw machines, she followed and stayed just behind him or in the corner of his eye. She had to admit, some of the nerdy crap they had was kind of cute. Others were just perverted, like that statue of one of the girls from that one pirate anime. Though she had to admit the artwork on the figures for Goku were pretty nice to look at.

Koneko noticed the teen exorcist's mood drop the longer he looked at the dragon plushie until he eventually just walked out.

 _That didn't take long,_ she mused. Quietly, she followed him outside into the streets where she could see his lips moving. _Either he's muttering to himself or he has a spirit in his Sacred Gear._ Curious as she was, she still kept her distance as she didn't want to reveal her presence yet.

It wasn't until they arrived at a very familiar park that she had to make an effort to hide herself. _This place seems to come up a lot._ She quickly and quietly climbed one of the nearby trees as he made his way to the fountain. His mouth was still moving, as if he were talking to somebody, but she heard nothing. This was odd, considering devils had more sensitive hearing than a normal human; her especially considering what she was before. She wanted to hear what he was saying, mainly so she could report back to Rias, but really hated using that particular ability.

She grimaced before shaking her head. If she wanted this information, she'd have to suck it up. Minutely tapping into her senjutsu abilities brought out her ears, just so she could hear what was being whispered.

"...ot like I don't want to...I get that this thing could possibly be disgustingly broken, but it's still total horse crap...It seems intentionally bad by design, how does that make sense...I understand, but it still sucks worse than Dragonball Evolution...I'll try, but I can't guarantee any progress." He sat down against the fountain and crossed his legs, closing his eyes. Holding his hands in front of him, his breathing began to even out.

 _Meditation?_ Even the minute amount of senjutsu she was tapped into could feel energy from him centering around both of his hands...and up his forearms, for some reason. The buildup was increasing slowly but surely. _Is he trying to unlock a Balance Breaker already?! There's no way he could achieve that this soon after unlocking his Sacred Gear for the first time!_ Something about those thoughts didn't sound quite right.

She swore she felt something similar when this boy first unlocked Sacred Gear... _Is he in possession of another one? Is that what this is?! He trying to unlock another Sacred Gear!_ While fairly rare, a person wielding two Sacred Gears was not unheard of. Rather, it was the fact that when somebody possessed two or more, it meant that the others were most likely stolen from somebody else.

But this still didn't sound right in her mind. While the Rook made her physical tank of the peerage, she was still able to sense magic buildup in an opponent, and could normally use her (begrudgingly) small build to outspeed them most of the time before they could actually release that energy. This ability was amplified by her using senjutsu, the rare occasion that she felt the need to use it.

As for the energy itself, when someone was using a stolen Sacred Gear, it still felt somewhat like the original user. What she was feeling right now, however, still felt like the teen exorcist's normal energy. _So he was really born with another one?_

His hands and forearms began to glow with a white light as his face scrunched, as if he was holding something back. Unlike when he first unlocked his Imagination Engine, this gear seemed to take longer to unlock because of reasons she could only speculate. Just when it seemed to reach a breaking point, however, the glow suddenly stopped. The energy buildup she felt had completely disappeared, and the boy himself released a sigh.

"Damn," he muttered, "I almost had it too." He paused for a moment. "Yeah, I know. But I don't have the time to screw around here. I need to get stronger quickly and find Asia."

She didn't know who Asia was, but she knew enough from the tone of voice that she was somebody important. Figuring she had enough info, she reigned in her senjutsu power, making her ears tuck back into her hair. As she turned to leave, he whispered one last thing that she barely caught.

"I need your help here, Anderson. Work with me."

Silently, she made her way out of the park and back to Rias, her mind whirling with this new information.

* * *

It was two days before I heard anything concerning my missing charge. I had taken down the last stray of the night and had just arrived that the church when Kalawarner practically crashed into the ground beside me. Aside from being out of breath, a couple of scratches and bruises, and being completely naked, she was fine.

Still, being the kind of guy that I am, I quickly rushed over to see if she was alright. One of the stray priests came out having heard the crash.

"What happened out here?" he asked.

"Get Raynare," I replied urgently, "and hurry!" I heard the man's footsteps fade back into the church before I asked Kalawarner the main question on my mind. "So do you just want a blanket, or do you wanna borrow my robe?"

Her response was to flip me off. _Apparently, Issei must have just unlocked his Boosted Gear...or at least the dormant form of it as a Twice Critical._

I removed my outermost robe and wrapped it around her as she tried to stand. "Let's get you inside then you can explain just what the hell happened to bring you here buckass nude."

"Since when do you order me around?" she growled, pulling my admittedly smaller robe around her rather…*ahem* _**THICC**_ frame.

"It wasn't an order. It was a summary of what's about to happen."

She wanted to retort, but Raynare chose that moment to burst out of the church. Her eyes landed on us and before I could even say a word, she practically dragged us down to the church's basement.

"Everyone out, now!" she yelled to the stray exorcists. The various men there had more sense than I gave them credit for and managed to clear the room in just under a minute. Raynare then rounded on her Fallen comrade. "Explain, now," Raynare ordered.

"Remember that boy Dohnaseek tried to kill?" Kalawarner asked. "The one that Lord Azazel said to watch over? He unlocked his Sacred Gear."

I facepalmed. "Please tell me you didn't try to kill him…" Kalawarner simply huffed, blushing lightly. "That's why Dohnaseek and I fought in the first place, you idiot!"

"It's not like I was really trying to kill him!" she spat.

"You literally just admitted to it! And because of that, you were forced to fly back here completely naked."

"I merely wanted to see what was so great about him. I didn't think him unlocking his Sacred Gear would have that kind of effect."

"You do know who we're talking about, right?" I deadpanned. "This is the same kid whose dick has a bigger brain than his head." Raynare smirked slightly before schooling her face back to a neutral scowl.

"Hence why it was more surprising when it was unlocked." She brought a hand to her chin in thought. "That said, it was a pretty powerful side effect for a Twice Critical."

Raynare snorted. "You got scared off by a Twice Critical? Just how weak do you need to be for that?"

I gestured between the two. "Pot, meet kettle."

Raynare glared at me. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Remind me how we met again? Oh yeah, by me nearly blowing your brains out. I swear I saw a pile of bricks appear behind you after that."

"What does that-wait a minute…" She narrowed her eyes as I just gave her a troll face. "I see what you did there."

"Point still stands," I concluded, my face serious again, "she was forced to run off by Issei unlocking a Sacred Gear, which, while bruising her pride, was a smart move." I began pacing through the room. "Now if I remember correctly, a Twice Critical is a gear that doubles the user's power for 30 seconds at a time, right?" The two Fallen Angels nodded.

"It's rather pathetic when compared to something like Sword Birth or even Vritra's Absorption Line," Raynare commented.

I shook my head. "Don't ever underestimate somebody with a power doubler. Even when you think you've won, you should always watch out for those."

"Why? It only works for 30 seconds and it doesn't even stack."

"Because the moment you underestimate your opponent, you've lost." The two of them rose an eyebrow, making me sigh before clarifying. "Picture this; You've gotten your opponent to his last legs, and he's got nothing else left. Because of this, you start to laugh and boast over your impending victory. However, right as you're finishing your early celebration, a powerful strike sends you to the ground and he just continually wails on you until you're nothing but a bloody paste on the ground." I snapped my fingers. "In an instant, your inevitable victory became a crushing defeat."

Raynare seemed to hold back a retort, while Kalawarner thought about it from my angle. Eventually, the both of them conceded the point.

"Was there anything else to report?" Raynare asked.

"I found Asia," Kalawarner replied.

 _Thicc bitch says WHAT NOW?!_

"I told her where the church was, and she said she'd be here tomorrow. Apparently she wanted to see the sights of the town before she came here and got lost on the way."

I practically tackled the Fallen Angel. "Why wasn't she just brought here?! I've been worried about her for the past week!"

She pushed me off, knocking me into the wall. "Because her excuse, and I quote, was that she 'felt something was keeping her from the church until the time was right.' I assume that's why she said tomorrow."

I stood up from the wall, shaking my head to rid myself of the dizziness. _Knowing her,_ I thought, taking a calming breath, _it means she feels God guiding her to where events I know will take place...including her meeting with Issei..._

"She's so gonna get it when I find her," I grumbled.

"Not tonight, boy," Raynare ordered. "You're getting your ass upstairs and showering before you stink up the place anymore."

I just rose an eyebrow, smirking. "Why Raynare, I had no idea you cared!"

She grit her teeth. "Really, I don't. You stink, and I have other things to discuss with Kalawarner. Now go before I tell Mittelt to go through your phone and delete your music!"

I shrugged, but hurried out of the basement. Knowing them, they have a way to hack my phone and do just that.

* * *

I decided the next morning to go for a walk, looking for Asia. Phantasos and I had been using this time to try to plan for the future, meaning that I was trying to see what I could change without that much impact.

 _So if what they said was true, then we have roughly two days before the big ritual for Asia's Sacred Gear._

 _ **[Then tonight will be when you have your chance to truly be rid of Freed.]**_

 _Yeah, him nearly raping Asia in the show was bad enough. If he tries that here...well, hopefully I'll have unlocked the power I want by then._

 _ **[You have definitely progressed in the short amount of time since you came up with the idea, but you seem to be missing a vital piece.]**_

 _And what is that?_

 _ **[How should I know? You know the character better than me.]**_

 _Yeah, and he was the best exorcist known to mankind before he stuck that nail from the 'Don't Fuck With This' armory into his heart._

 _ **[What else do you know about the character?]**_

I put a hand to my chin in thought, dodging one of the kids running by. _He was really into his job, both as a priest, and as an exorcist. He also took care of an orphanage when he wasn't killing supernatural beings._

 _ **[While not quite to that degree, I can say you are very much into your job as an exorcist.]**_

 _So then what could the problem be? I'm good at what I do, better than most my age if my record at the Vatican is anything to go by. So what could be missing?_

"James?"

I stopped at the voice and turned, facing the speaker. Issei stood with his bag slung over his shoulder.

"Is that really you?"

I gave a nod to the perv as he ran up to me. "I'm surprised you remember my name. What's up?"

"I was actually looking for you. I wanted to thank you for saving my ass from that fedora wearing asshat."

I waved it off. "Not a problem. Even if we are on different sides of the biblical factions, I can say you aren't truly bad at heart. Besides, the guy actually managed to redeem himself before he died."

"How does that work?"

I shrugged. "I don't completely know myself. Not just that, but I don't know if it'd be a good idea to go into detail when certain aspects would just cause you pain."

He flinched at that moment. _Probably his devil senses warning him of his natural enemy._

"Yeah, probably for the best right now."

"So what's brought you out here?"

He sighed. "I'm just on my way to school. Decided to take a walk to clear my head."

"You too, huh?" He looked at me in surprise and nodded. "Yeah, it seems we both have too much going through our heads."

"Tell me about it. I couldn't even hang out with my friends Matsuda and Motohama for very long because of it."

I rose an eyebrow. "If our conversation from before is anything to go by, that's probably for the best."

"Hey, what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you need to learn to think with the head on your shoulders instead of the one between your legs."

He spluttered for a moment before sighing. "Fine you got me there. But still, the fact I couldn't even hang with my bros really pisses me off."

I shrugged. "Considering your situation, it's not that surprising. When I first found out about the supernatural, I was fairly skeptical."

"Aren't you a religious guy?"

I chuckled. "Yeah, surprising coming from me of all people, but it's the truth. It took me a week before it finally sunk in and began to make sense."

"How? How did you even deal with it?"

I smiled. "How do you deal with weird things in fiction?"

"You just...roll with it." He realized it as he said it.

"Do you know what that's called?" He shook his head. "It's called suspension of disbelief. It's accepting that something works for one reason or another but knowing the specific reason doesn't matter that much."

He was about to respond when a clatter against the pavement caught both our attention. A suitcase laid open with some of the clothing spilled out, including multiple pairs of underwear. Next to it was a girl that had faceplanted with her dress riding up, giving Issei and me a perfect view of her panties…

 _Right, almost forgot that this universe runs on ecchi logic…_ I looked to Issei and, after seeing the dumb look on his face, smacked him upside the head, snapping him out of his pervy trance. _Wait a second…_

"Ow...oh no," the girl groaned in a very familiar voice, "I fell down again. I'm such a klutz." she rolled over to a sitting position, rubbing her head.

"Asia?" I gasped, almost not believing what I was seeing.

She opened her emerald green eyes at the sound of my voice. "James?"

I ran at the poor girl, sweeping her up in a crushing hug. "I found you! I finally found you!" I yelled, spinning in a circle. Seriously, the amount of emotion in my voice and actions would give Alex Louis Armstrong a run for his money.

"I-It's nice to see you t-too, James...b-but I can't b-breathe…!"

I set her down releasing her from my death grip hug, giving her a chance to catch her breath. When she had finally got it back, she sighed before smiling at me.

"I'm glad that we've found each other again."

 _ **WHACK!**_

"Owie!"

"Do you have any idea how worried I was when I couldn't find you?! For two entire DAYS, no less?! I nearly worked myself to exhaustion trying to find you! I was worried something had happened to you!"

She sniffed, tears pricking her eyes while she held her head. "I-I'm sorry, J-James…"

 _Dammit, she's too adorable…_ I pulled her into another hug, this one more gentle. "You idiot…don't ever worry me like that again," I muttered, "you hear me?"

She hugged me back this time. "Yeah. I promise."

"Good."

"Uh, James," Issei called out awkwardly. "Who's this?"

 _Oh right...I forgot he was here for a minute._

 _ **[That sounds a little irresponsible of you.]**_

"Issei, this is my friend Asia. Asia, this is Issei."

He bowed politely. "It's nice to meet you, Asia."

I leaned into my charge's ear. "Keep an eye on him, he's a major perv."

"Hey, what the hell dude?!"

"Am I wrong?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, but still! That's not something you tell a pretty girl right off the bat!"

"It's alright," Asia spoke up. "I can feel that he's not a bad person at heart."

I chuckled again. "So can I. That's why I mess with him like I do."

Issei just sent a half hearted glare my way. "You suck."

"You blow and swallow," I replied easily. We both started laughing, while Asia looked between us in confusion. _Poor, innocent child._

"So what's the story between you two?" he asked as we started walking again.

Asia perked up happily at the question. "James has been my best friend and bodyguard for two years now. He's helped me through a lot in our time together."

"Bodyguard?"

"Remember that power I displayed the other night when we first met?" I reminded him. "She has one like it."

Issei tilted his head, looking up in thought before nearly busting out laughing. "You-ha-you mean she could turn into a Sentai too?! That's hilarious!"

I sighed, smacking his head again. "No, you moron. I mean she has a special ability that only a select few are born with. It varies depending on the person, but hers is unique in and of itself."

"How so?"

I was about to answer when a child fell nearby. _I can't tell if that was coincidence or just the laws of convenience for this universe. And that's not something I thought I'd think about a child getting hurt._

"Hey now," Asia said to the boy, trying to calm him down. "Big boys like you shouldn't cry over something like this." Her Sacred gear popped out, and as she did her thing, Issei flinched again, gripping his left hand.

"Hey, you okay, man?" I asked, frowning.

He waved me off. "It's nothing. I'll be fine."

"There you go, is that better?" Asia asked, making us turn our attention back to her. The boy flexed his knee experimentally before nodding excitedly. His mother grabbed his arm, pulling him away before he could properly thank Asia. I wanted to put the fear of God into her, I really did. But I managed to control my anger at the mother long enough to pull Asia back to her feet.

"That's her special power," I eventually said. "Her Sacred Gear lets her heal any injury along with some illnesses."

"That's...pretty epic," he breathed in amazement.

"Yeah," Asia replied with a bitter smile. "It's truly a gift from God."

"Her gift has attracted some of the wrong attention from people," I elaborated. "Before I met her, she was only seen for her healing ability. Even after I became her bodyguard, it was no better because they treated her as a saint...but then everything changed one night."

Issei looked at me then back to Asia. "What happened?"

"Asia and I had been finishing up with our normal duties when someone came running down the road. He was heavily injured and close to death. Asia wanted to heal him immediately, but I held her back."

"Why?"

"The man was a devil from a high ranking family. I made him promise that he would leave immediately after she was done."

Issei could see where this was going. "It didn't go like that, did it?"

I shook my head. "As it turned out, the bastard was on the run from another exorcist, whom he promptly killed once Asia had healed him before disappearing. Not 12 hours later, she was excommunicated. People that used to love her turned against her when they found out her healing could affect anything. But that's not all."

"What happened then?"

"I'd heard of similar cases where holy women would be excommunicated before completely disappearing of the face of the planet. I wasn't about to let Asia become one of those, so I've stayed as her bodyguard."

"And you still do a good job of it," Asia complimented. I just smiled back at her. She had no clue how much she just lightened the mood.

* * *

After another hour of talking about random subjects, we wound up back at the church. We'd been out for a while now and it was almost time for class for Issei.

"Will I see you again, Issei?" she asked.

"Probably not," he answered hesitantly. "Maybe in passing, but I don't think we'll really see each other like this again."

"You never know," I shrugged. "You know how the man upstairs works. Go ahead and get settled in, Asia. I have a couple things to talk with Issei about." She nodded and, after saying a quick goodbye to her new friend, went inside. "I need you to send a message to Rias," I told him seriously.

"What's up?" he replied just as serious.

"I have reason to believe we are in danger here. Asia especially. I didn't mention this earlier, but there's a few Fallen Angels here along with a bunch of stray exorcists that are setting up for something big."

"What do you mean?"

I looked around, as well as at the door to the church before leaning in and whispering. "I think they plan to steal Asia's Sacred Gear." His eyes widened at this. "What I need you to do is tell her about what happened today, mention that you met me again, and tell her you bonded well with Asia. If she tells you not to see us again, then you'll know things are going according to plan."

"And if she doesn't?"

"Then tell her I said this; 'There's a big party going on tomorrow night, and if you're late, I will be most unpleased.'"

He nodded then asked the million dollar question. "Why are you telling me this? Aren't we supposed to be enemies? And for that matter, why ask for help from devils in the first place?"

I just chuckled as I went up to the door. "Don't you watch any anime, Issei? Just because something is dark doesn't mean it's evil. But if you must know...it's because out of all the devils I've met, you and your allies have been the most willing to cooperate with me. You could say that you guys have earned my respect."

With that, I retreated into the church only to be greeted by the resident loli of the Fallen Angels, Mittlet.

"I see you've been busy, mister!" she grinned. Whether that was a good thing or not depended on which side of it you were on...I was on the wrong side.

"Yeah," I replied neutrally. "I found my charge, and she's alright, plus she even made a new friend." I began to walk past her.

"Too bad she won't know him for very long."

I stopped right next her. "Explain, shitstain," I growled.

"The ritual is set to take place tomorrow night," she bragged. "Her Sacred Gear is gonna be the thing that helps us get back into Heaven's good graces and-"

"No it's not."

She glared at me. "What are you talking about?"

"Are you really trying to get into Heaven's good graces, or are you actually trying to take over the place?"

"What's it to you?"

"If you were trying to get back into a state of grace, you'd be truly sorry for what you've done and go to confession. If you were just trying to start a war with Heaven again, you'd be on the right path by taking Asia's Sacred Gear. But either way, I won't let you harm her."

Mittelt just smirked behind her hand. "What, you think you're gonna stop it? Not even your little costume change would do much against us."

"Who said that would be how I stop you? Do you think me that predictable? You foolish little loli."

"What did you say?!"

"Do your research before trying to tell me what you plan to do. Because breaking the ten commandments further will only make things worse for you." Nothing more to say, I just walked away, hunting down Raynare to get my next mission for the night.

* * *

"You have the night off," Raynare ordered bluntly.

"Are you sure you want me to do that?" I asked.

"Yes. I'm sending Asia and Freed on another mission tonight to get her used to what we do."

 _This is the night,_ I realized. _This is where she finds out about Issei being a devil..._ I instantly frowned. "That's a bad idea. I don't trust Freed within three miles of her vicinity without somebody to keep an eye on him."

Raynare sighed. "I know he's a bit eccentric. But-"

"Eccentric my ass! Dude is insane, and Asia is different from you guys! If he gets handsy with you, you can hit him hard enough to make him back off. Asia is only 15, almost 16, and has had no combat experience whatsoever!"

Raynare slammed a fist into the wall, making me silent. "My decision still stands. She needs to know exactly what we do, and prepare for any consequences because of it." She turned, facing the window as a pair of birds flew by. "Freed is the only person who does his job well enough to mentor her properly. You not only don't know enough about this gig, but you also are a biased party."

I stood my ground. "I've been her bodyguard for over two years now! It's literally in my job description to be worried about her!"

"You have no mission tonight. She is in the care of Father Freed. End of story."

I grit my teeth. "Fine. I understand." I turned and walked back to my room that I now shared with Asia.

 _ **[So you noticed what she did too, right?]**_

 _Oh yeah._

 _ **[And your plan is?]**_

 _Act on the information I was given._

I sat crisscross on my bed and began to concentrate.

* * *

"Hey, don't be too freaked out, but I'm coming in," the distinctly male voice called. A very familiar voice.

 _Why would Issei be here?_ Asia thought. When she was given this job, she assumed Father Freed would only be teaching her the basics of an exorcism. Instead, he told her to set up a barrier to 'keep any shitty devils or demons from escaping' and to only set the last piece when she heard the gunshot.

She simply shook her head and placed the last paper on the window, sealing the barrier. She then began to make her way downstairs to the living room where Freed told her to meet him.

 _Still, I wish James were here. He knew how to end a job quick without keeping us in danger for very long._

The few times that she had to be left behind for an exorcism he went on, he was always there and back in the time most people took to get to the site in the first place. It was something she admired about him. When he set his mind to something, he did the job at 110%.

Her thoughts were cut off when she heard voices. Pressing herself to the wall, she began to eavesdrop.

"Then you're the one who did this?"

 _What did Father Freed do?_ She couldn't see from her position in the hall, but the smell of blood was fairly strong in the air, making her use her veil as an improvised mask.

"Summoning you was proof that he was done being human. End of the line, sinner! So I had to chop him up into little bitty pieces." For some reason, those words sounded wrong, even for an exorcist like Freed.

He continued to boast and monologue about how good he was at his job. It was another thing she didn't like about this man. Unlike James, who seemed to get a job done as quickly as possible and leave before anybody was the wiser, this man seemed to have a flair for the dramatic. She may have had a sheltered childhood, but even she could tell that this man wasn't completely there in the head.

The sound of Freed's sword activating brought her back to the present. The clatter against the wood floor told her that the fight had started. She could hear that the devil was not doing well, and with how Freed was taunting, it was only getting worse. Her curiosity got the better of her and she opened the door to the living room.

What she saw made her scream. What used to be the occupant of the house was now a bloody mess on the wall and floor. It took all of her might not to hurl on the floor right then.

"What the hell?" Freed exclaimed. "Asia, what are you doing here? Are you done creating the barrier already?"

"D-Don't do this," she gasped, still staring at the mangled mess of gore.

"Right, a newbie," he sighed flippantly. "Well then, I guess it's time you learned. This is what the job is, my dear. We dispose of people who've been bewitched by the evil devils."

Her frightened gaze turned to the pair, only to land on her newest friend. "No...it can't be…" This had to be a mistake.

"Asia, I-"

"What's going on," Freed interrupted, "do you two know each other?"

"Issei, why are you here?" Asia asked, dreading the answer.

The perverted teen looked to the ground in shame. "I'm here...because I'm a devil, Asia."

Her dread proved to be true. She tried to deny it, but one thing came to her mind. When she was healing that boy, she noticed her friend flinch. As if he was...in pain. It clicked right then.

"I didn't want to lie to you. That's why I decided it was best not to see you again. Please forgive me."

"Oh heavens…" Tears were running down her cheeks as more things clicked into place.

"Not that this isn't heartwarming," Freed interrupted, getting uncomfortably close to Asia, "but you two have no business seeing each other. The Fallen Angels have expressed that contact between our kind and theirs is strictly forbidden. Have you forgotten that already?"

She didn't forget. She just didn't know her friend was a devil until now. But with this, new questions arose. The foremost being, if contact between them was forbidden, then why was James talking with him like they were old friends? What was he planning with them?

"Now then, shall we get back to what we came here to do? Not that it matters much, but I hope you've said your prayers!" Freed prepared to swing his blade, only to freeze in place.

Asia stood protectively in front of Issei. "Please Father," she begged, her voice serious, "let him go. He's had enough, just forgive him and let him go."

"Are you serious with this? That isn't a man, it's a devil. And don't think you can get away with trying to imitate your little bodyguard with that tone of voice. You made a pledge to defeat our enemies."

"That only applies to our enemies," she countered. "He is not my enemy. There is good in him, I've seen it! Do you really believe the Almighty would approve of this?"

Freed roared in anger, slashing his blade. "Enough of this bullshit!"

Glass breaking was their only warning before another blade struck the wall and stuck, knocking his sword out of his hand and deactivating it in the process. The three of them looked toward the window and back to the blade glowing an ethereal blue.

"Where'd that bayonet come from?" Freed asked out loud.

"It's a shame fer you that lost yer weapon," a scottish accented voice recited, "a careless man who shouldn't have been let in. You wore yer sin like it was some kind of prize." Into the room, hands in his pockets, casually walked James. "Too many lies, too many lies."

"Oh, what the hell do you want, kid? Can't you see I'm in the middle of a job here?"

James only looked at Freed with a very unsettling grin. "I'm just stopping you from doing something stupid, you crazy Jashinist bastard."

"Excuse you, I serve nobody but myself when it comes to killing these shitty little devils."

"Call it whatever you want, you crazy Jashinist bastard."

Freed pointed his gun at the teen exorcist. "You know, this is a violation of your agreement. I could have you killed and the higher ups wouldn't even bat an eye."

"And what part might that be?"

"The part where you're STOPPING ME FROM KILLING THIS DEVIL!" He aimed his gun toward Issei and Asia again and fired, only this time, the shot was blocked by another bayonet courtesy of James.

"I can't say I know what yer on about. I'm just here doin' my job. Killing Stray Devils, Fallen Angels, and Leprechauns." He put a hand to his chin thoughtfully. "I haven't actually found one yet, but do you think if I cut one open with my knife, it'll just spew out Lucky Charms?"

 _How did he get here so quickly?_ Asia thought frantically. She was happy he was here, but she knew she put up a barrier. There couldn't have been a way in from the outside. Her gaze quickly went to her bodyguard's, and she knew what he was doing.

 _He's buying me time to get help...or escape._ She nodded and helped Issei to his feet, trying to guide him out of the house. Freed seemed to have other plans, though, as he dove for his discarded sword and tried to slash at the retreating pair, only for James to block it with two more bayonets.

"Okay, where the hell are you keeping those things?" Freed asked, frustrated. "Because they're becoming a huge pain in my ass!"

James reversed his grip on one of the blades, the glow of them reflecting off his new white gloves. "Then I'll make them a pain elsewhere on your body," he replied in his normal voice.

Their blades crossed and the battle began.

* * *

 **A/N: After a month of development hell, a new chapter, and it's a pretty long one. Bad news, though; with the holiday season coming up, work is gonna get slammed, plus I'm starting college soon, so updates are gonna be slowing down a bit.**

 **Until next time, Review, Follow, Favorite, and I'll see you in the next one.**


	6. Judas Priest vs Jashin's Exorcist

**Chapter 6: Judas Priest vs Jashin's Exorcist**

To say Rias was worried was an understatement, yet an overstatement at the same time. She loved the people in her peerage like family, as does most of her blood family. However, she was worried more about losing a valuable asset in Issei than the teen himself. When he had shown his Sacred Gear to them, she could feel almost immediately that it wasn't a regular Twice Critical. Which meant only one thing; he'd awakened the dormant form of the Longinus class Boosted Gear.

She had a feeling that he needed time to process what had happened on the way home from the Stray Devil mission, but when she met up with him the next morning, she was ecstatic to hear that his power was awakened. Which made it all the more frustrating when she was told that he not only met a nun, but got along with her and the exorcist from the other night that was apparently her bodyguard.

Don't get her wrong, she was happy that he was expanding his circle to those outside of the perverted trio, but it would worry her less if they weren't working for the church or the Fallen Angels. Something else that bothered her was the exorcist in question.

Not only did he tell her servant to give her a message, but he also warned her of a possible battle at the church Issei dropped them off at. This confused her greatly, even after being given the explanation told to Issei. _If his story is to be believed,_ she thought, _then he should have a lot of trouble trusting supernatural beings like Fallen Angels or Devils. So why ask for my help with this matter? Why trust me?_

"President," Akeno alerted, "Issei's energy is being muted!"

"What do you mean?" Rias asked urgently. "Teleport us to him right now!"

"I can't. I've been trying to connect, but the signal to the area in the house is being blocked."

Rias bit her thumbnail. "Then it's likely a trap that was set the moment he entered the house"

"Most likely, and the muting would mean there's a barrier in place. I'll try to dismantle it from here, but it will take some time."

"How long?"

"A few minutes at most. Judging by the energy, it's probably from an exorcist." Akeno's smile came back minutely. "A beginner, judging from how basic it is."

Koneko looked up from her parfait. "1000 yen says it has something to do with the perv's new pals." she commented dryly.

"Now, now," Akeno chided with a giggle. "Issei's friends may not be involved. After all, he's not the only exorcist in town."

"Just the only one who still has ties to the church," the white-haired loli countered.

Akeno shrugged. "We'll see when I get this barrier down."

Rias nodded. "While you do that, everyone else prepare for battle," she ordered. "I'm not losing any of my servants to the enemy, no matter what!"

Her words were almost unnecessary, as Koneko was already pulling on her gloves and Kiba had already summoned a sword to his hip. She was impressed by her peerage's preparedness for when she gave orders like this.

"It's ready, President," Akeno reported, only to frown a second later. "That's odd."

"What is it?" Rias asked.

"There are three other signatures there with Issei. One of them is leading him out of the house, while the other two are facing off."

"Boost my bet to 2000 yen," Koneko drawled. "This reeks of that exorcist kid."

"I have to admit, the possibility is pretty high," Kiba commented.

"Then let's go and see for ourselves," Rias commanded.

The four of them stepped onto the circle, teleporting in a flash of red. A second later had them standing outside the house, right next to Issei and Asia. Issei was sitting on the ground while Asia healed his wounds with her Sacred Gear.

"Issei," Rias called, catching both teens' attention, "what happened in there?"

"Pres? How did you-"

"Teleportation," Koneko interrupted.

"Okay, I so need to learn to do that."

"Focus, Issei," Rias commanded. "What happened?"

Issei explained the situation as best he could. They could hear the sounds of the fight coming from the house as he did.

* * *

"Will you just piss off already?!" Freed screamed at me as he swung his light sword.

"I don't have to use the bathroom!" I yelled back cheekily, blocking his swings with my own blades. At this point I was making as many Team Four Star jokes as I could, even if I was getting mixed up.

 _ **[Don't spend too much time fighting here. You still need to get used to having this much power.]**_

 _Not now, Nail!_

Freed fired his gun at me again, causing me to roll out of the way.

"How? How are you this strong?!"

I just smirked. "I trained all day yesterday."

"Oh look at that. You think you're being cute."

I used the opportunity to kick his stomach, launching him into the wall of the house. "Bitch, I'm adorable."

* * *

"...We got out here, Asia started healing me, and that's when you guys showed up." An impact into the wall of the house made them jump before the sounds of clashing metal resumed.

"We need to pull out of here now," Rias decided. "Can you walk right now, Issei?"

"I think so. But what about Asia?"

"She'll have to stay behind."

Any protest was cut off by the wall of the house exploding toward them, along with the flying body of the psychotic exorcist that slammed into a nearby tree.

* * *

I stared out of the hole I made from sending Freed through the wall. "Real shame that didn't break your back," I yelled viciously. "That would've at least gotten you bedridden for a few weeks, depending on whoever healed you." My gloved hands were immediately filled with glowing bayonets again, causing the more observant members of the group to notice the cross markings proclaiming the word of God. "But don't think I'd let you off that easy for what you've attempted, jackass."

"What the hell are you going on about?!" Freed yelled back as he got up, turning at a disturbing angle in the process. "Seriously, how are you this strong when you only just got your fucking Sacred Gear?!"

"Fuck you, that's how."

Freed growled. "Oh no, you are not going to be that guy right now."

"Oh, I am definitely going to be that guy right now."

Freed growled again. "I thought I told you our relationship wouldn't last long if you didn't respect your superiors, boy!"

"And if you look at the field where I grow my fucks, you'll notice it's barren." I crossed my bayonets intimidatingly. "The only way you get my respect is if you earn it. And trying to rape my charge just put you on my shit list. Now either retreat back to the Fallen, or face yer death like a man." I hadn't noticed, but my voice flipped back into Anderson's scottish accent. Turning the blades made them spark off each other briefly. "Because even if you were a man of God at one point, ya lost that the moment yeh started killing fer fun."

"You say that like it's a bad thing." My glare hardened further. "Honestly, I couldn't give two shits about the heathens I have to kill. So what if I get a little pent up and need to release?"

"You just did something ya really shouldn't have."

Freed's grin only got wider. "What, did I hurt your widdle feewings?"

From that point, I only saw red as Phantasos' cries to calm down became more and more distant.

* * *

James' blades disappeared as he reached into his robes. "No, even worse." He pulled out a pair of large barreled pistols, one black, the other silver. It was at this point that Koneko and Kiba noticed the gloves James was wearing.

"When did the design on those gloves change?" Kiba muttered. Gone was the cross graffiti, and in its place was a professional looking pentagram. As in, it looked like a sealing pentagram for powerful beings trying to suppress their power.

James' eyes had also changed, from their normal brown to deep red. "You activated _my_ _Alu_ _ **card**_." As he spoke, his teeth seemed to sharpen into fangs, making his words come out as a growl. " _ **And now I'm going to make sure you don't leave here alive."**_

Rias recognized the feral tone in his voice and turned to her queen. "Akeno, can you sedate him if he gets out of control?" she asked urgently.

"I can try," the dark-haired girl replied, "but I can't guarantee his survival if I do."

Rias cursed under her breath. "What about a possible pressure point?"

Koneko shook her head. "If someone with my strength and accuracy went in for a spot like that, he'd die on impact."

"What is this?" Issei asked, staring at the scene in a mix of awe and fear. "This is nothing like when Yuuma killed me."

Rias looked at her servant with pity before steeling her voice into neutrality. "This is the result of achieving power quicker than your mind or body can handle. This is a rage that turns devils into strays and warps their bodies into grotesque forms."

James' cackles rose into the night sky, as black energy began swirling around him.

* * *

Azazel looked up from his book as the minute feeling of almost demonic aggression began to grow. He could tell that something was holding it back, but even so, it felt almost as bad as one of the Four Satans...at about 50% power.

 _What did you get into, boy?_

"Should I go see what's wrong?" his assistant asked.

Azazel nodded, a serious look on his face. "Get there as quick as you can. Be prepared to step in if you need to. I've a feeling this has to do with that little side project I told you about."

"Right. I'll be back then."

"Be careful, Vali. While he may be inexperienced, he still has something rarely any other Sacred Gear wielder has."

"So will the Red Dragon Emperor when I find him."

The governor general sighed. "Just make sure nobody dies, yeah?" The young devil nodded as he took off.

* * *

"Lord Michael, we have a problem!"

Michael looked up from one of the prayers he was reading to the shout of one of his angels. "What's the matter?" he asked.

"We're picking up a large concentration of dark energy in one area of Japan."

The blond archangel frowned in thought. "Devil activity?"

The angel scion shook her head. "No sir, though there is a small group of them nearby. This energy is not human or devil in nature."

"Fallen Angels?"

"No, sir, even they are still holy by nature, even if corrupted."

"Monster energy, then?"

"A high possibility, sir. If I had to guess, probably either a vampire or a werewolf."

A thought seemed to cross Michael's mind. "Where is the wielder of the Imagination Engine right now?"

"Checking now…" the angel typed a few keys into the system before gasping. "Oh no…"

 _I knew it,_ Michael thought grimly. "He's there, isn't he?"

"Not just that, sir...he's the source of it."

Michael gasped lightly before staring at the screen in front of him in dread. _Just what did you tap into, James?_

* * *

 **[James, you need to calm down!]** Phantasos yelled. **[You aren't ready for this much power, even in its base form!]**

His calls fell on deaf ears, though. It seemed James was unable to listen to reason until the source of his anger was dealt with. In this case, Freed. But Phantasos could feel the strain this was putting on his body.

Both of the guns were aimed at the stray exorcist. " _ **I feel the need to mention that these 13mm rounds are made from blessed silver"**_ he snarled. " _ **Not that it matters much for you, but still, a bullet is a bullet."**_ Before Freed could even respond, the large handguns fired with amazing efficiency and precision. One round hit Freed's left arm, nearly blowing it off had he been standing just 2 inches to the left. Another hit his right leg, rendering him practically immobile.

 _ **[Damn, how am I going to calm him down? If he tries to tap into more power, his body will be torn apart!]**_ As if to prove his internal panicking, blood began to leak out of James' nose and the left corner of his mouth. _**[This isn't good. He won't survive much longer if this keeps up…]**_

"James, please stop this now!" Asia yelled. "You're going to tear yourself apart!"

" _ **If it's protecting you, Asia,"**_ he growled, " _ **then it's worth it."**_ Three more rounds were fired at the stray exorcist. Freed managed to roll out of the way, but only barely considering the bullets grazed him, leaving scratches that were sure to scar.

"Issei," Rias called as Akeno set up another teleportation circle, "we're leaving now!"

"But what about Asia? And James?"

"It's too dangerous here. He's out of control, and humans aren't keyed into the circle, so we can't take her with us."

"Then I'll stay here!"

"No you won't! I'm not leaving this up for debate."

Any response the perverted teen had was cut off when Koneko picked him up over her shoulder and brought him to the circle.

"I'll be fine Issei," Asia reassured calmly. "James won't hurt me. He would never forgive himself if he did." She finished her sentence with a small smile.

Issei continued to protest as Rias nodded to the nun. "Do it, Akeno," she ordered. The queen complied and the group disappeared in a flash of red. Asia turned back to her rampaging bodyguard with a serious look on her face.

"I need to calm him down quickly," she muttered, pulling out her own phone. "And I think I know how to do it." A hand over hers made her pause and look at who it was connected to.

"Don't bother," the white-haired young adult said. "I'll take care of things from here."

* * *

The power was amazing. Even before I figured out how to pull off the Balance Breaker, Hellsing: Alucard form was still OP as shit! I didn't even care about the blood vessels in my nose bursting or the sharp teeth in my mouth biting my own cheek. The power high made me completely numb.

 _ **Now for the final shot!**_ I had pretty much immobilized Freed by shooting his legs and shoulder. I even gave a sadistic laugh as he writhed on the ground. I had leveled both of my guns in his face. " _ **Think of it this way, Freed,"**_ I growled, relishing in the look of pure terror on his face. " _ **You'll be free of these sinful humans, and you'll get to deal with as many shitty devils as you can before they wipe you from existence."**_

"As much as I love a good bit of sadism," a bored voice called from above me, "I'll have to ask you to not kill him."

 _ **{Divide!}**_

The sudden feeling of weakness made me lose my balance. The guns in my hands disappeared before they hit the ground. Freed decided to take this chance and limped away as fast as he could. I looked up to see someone I wasn't expecting this early. Though his hair was a clear sign, the white and blue armored wings sticking out of his back just hammered in his identity.

" _ **Well now, ain't this a treat. The White Dragon Emperor graces me with his presence."**_ It was at this point that my mind started clearing up a bit. Yet my body still wouldn't respond to my commands.

"Now you're definitely something new," Vali commented. "Tell me, what is your Sacred Gear?"

" _ **Wouldn't you like to know."**_

"Albion?"

 _ **{Divide!}**_

This time, I actually fell to one knee. Even in the state I was in, the power trip was going away, as was the numbness. I could feel my body screaming at me from the stress it was put through.

"Now, are you going to play nice?" Vali asked, examining his nails.

I coughed out some blood before responding. "Okay, alright. What you do is go down to the local pharmacy, ask for something called Viagra, _and it'll help you_ _**go FUCK yourself!"**_

"Once more, then."

 _ **{Divide!}**_

I didn't even feel the impact with the ground.

* * *

Asia looked at the scene in awe and sadness. She knew Sacred Gear users could be powerful, but she had no clue that they could possibly outclass each other like this. She stared at her hands where her Twilight Healing normally flashed into existence. Dark thoughts started to swim in her head as remembered what she just saw.

"He's not dead," the winged teen observed a he landed. "Just collapsed from exhaustion."

 _ **{I'm surprised that he managed to take three of those before he went down.}**_ Asia noticed that neither her nor the newcomer spoke, yet the wings flashed with the voice.

"What...just happened?" she hesitantly asked as tears threatened to spill down her face. "Who are you? Where did that other voice come from? WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY FRIEND?!"

"Apologies, where are my manners? My name is Vali. I'm the holder of Divine Dividing, the Sacred Gear of the White Dragon Emperor."

 _ **{I am the White Dragon, Albion. I inhabit Divine Dividing as a spirit.}**_

Asia took a breath to calm herself, though it only worked a little bit. "What did you do to James?"

"It's my Sacred Gear's main ability. I can cut my opponent's power in half and add it to my own. Any that my body can't handle gets filtered out through Albion's wings."

 _ **{What was the problem with this boy? Based on your reaction, it seems like you are very close to him.}**_

Asia nodded. "He's my bodyguard...and my best friend. This is the first time he's lost control of his power like that, though."

Vali looked back towards the boy's body. "How long ago did he awaken his Sacred Gear?"

"According to him, a little over a week ago."

He laughed silently. "That would explain how he lost control so easily."

 _ **{His power was too much for his body to handle. His mind adapted to the most appropriate attitude to try and compensate, but that may have made things worse.}**_

She approached her friend's body cautiously and knelt next to him. Her Twilight Healing immediately started up as she lifted his head to her lap, the green glow lighting up the area. Slowly, the cuts and other injuries from his power trip closed up and vanished like they had never existed. The only indication they were there was the blood surrounding the areas.

"Amazing," Vali commented. "Twilight Healing does its job well."

Asia sighed as the glow died down, cradling her bodyguard's head. "H-He only lost control because of me."

Vali frowned at that. "How do you mean?"

"He was trying to p-protect me from Father F-Freed." Tears gathered in her eyes again. "Freed was going to...to…" she took a shuddering breath to calm down, "If it wasn't for me, James wouldn't have lost control so easily."

Vali shook his head, chuckling. "You really are an idiot." Asia looked at him in a mix of shock and anger. "Why would he attack the priest if you were the one to blame? If he was your bodyguard, isn't it in his job description to protect you from anyone that would harm you?"

"W-Well, yes, but-"

"Then the only ones at fault for him losing control are himself and that priest." He turned around and walked a few feet away. "Honestly, you'd think the Catholics would have learned by now how to best deal with this kind of thing," he muttered.

Asia had half a mind to take offense, but even she had to admit he had a point. He jumped back into the air, flying and ready to go back to Azazel when he turned back around. "When he wakes up, tell him to call Azazel and give an update on his Sacred Gear."

"Where are you going?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I'll be around. Put simply, my rival, or rather _Albion's_ rival, is in the area and I'm hoping to find him soon." With a quick wave, Vali flew off to who knows where, leaving Asia next to the empty house with her bodyguard's unconscious form.

* * *

 _Darkness surrounded me as I floated in a void. No matter what I tried, I couldn't move, see, or feel any form of ground beneath me. Going off of that alone, I knew I had to be dreaming. Though, I had doubts when I couldn't get in contact with Phantasos._

" _ **Do you think I'm a fool?"**_ _a deep voice cackled. It sounded very,_ very _familiar._ " _ **You're telling me that this stupid kid was trying to tap into my power by throwing a tantrum?"**_

Oh please don't let me be going crazy from exhaustion, _I thought desperately._

 _ **[I assure you it was a fluke]**_ _I heard Phantasos try to calm down the voice._ _**[Then again, it seems that this entire idea was just one big trial by fire. With an imagination like his, we've barely even scratched the surface.]**_

" _ **If I remember correctly, imagination is always influenced by some outside source. His moreso than most."**_

 _ **[How are you even here? You aren't even a part of this universe.]**_

" _ **I happened to be purging my various souls, felt a tug on my main soul, and decided to see what was going on."**_ _I could hear the sneer in his tone._ " _ **Instead, I find this scrawny little brat trying to use my abilities like a piss poor art thief that didn't even bother to edit out the watermark!"**_

 _I couldn't tell was he was more angry about, the fact that I tried to use his abilities, or that I did so very poorly while making his character look like an idiot._

 _ **[At least he didn't try to call the dog.]**_

 _The vampire laughed humorlessly._ " _ **Even if it were still alive, it won't listen to anyone but me."**_

 _I couldn't help but feel relieved and indignant at the jab. I'd think I had a good track record with animals, but that was one dog I didn't want to deal with unless somebody was around to help me._

" _ **Now what's stopping me from ending him right now?"**_

 _I felt metal press against my skull as he said this. I wanted to flinch away, move, scream,_ something _, but I couldn't so much as twitch an eyebrow. Fear made me aware of just how powerful this monster was, especially after he absorbed the essence of Schrodinger's cat._ And going off of what he said earlier, he's still getting rid of the other souls in himself so he can go back to Integra...but that still took thirty years to do…

 _ **[How about that he's basically on a mission from the biblical God's highest ranked archangel to find him? If you kill him now, you won't be able to go back to your own master.]**_

 _Alucard seemed to pause a minute. Then he began laughing again._ " _ **So even with my 'sins' forgiven, you still look for a way to get the last laugh, huh, 'Yahweh'?!"**_ _The metal of his gun moved away from my head as he cackled relentlessly. Small drops of something landed on my cheeks, though what it was, I could only guess._

 _ **[Please Alucard, don't add to your list of regrets.]**_

 _The sound of rustling clothing was heard before Alucard answered._ " _ **Whatever. I'm going back to my purge."**_ _The sound of his footsteps faded away after a minute, making my greek companion sigh._

 _ **[You need to learn to control yourself, James. What happened this evening was proof of why the limitations on this gear exist.]**_

 _I couldn't reply even if I wanted to. There was nothing I had that would counter that._

* * *

 **A/N: After two months of hell, this chapter is finally released! Shorter than others because of time, and just running out of ways to make it feel well paced. But with this, something new is introduced; the limits of the body can get in the way of certain powers in James' imagination. So what happens now? Recovery, planning, and yes, the big showdown for Twilight Healing. This is also going to be where things start to divert little by little.**

 **On another note, the discord server is, once again, open to the public. Just don't be a lurker...nobody likes those. Here's the link -** **discord. gg/uDxVym8**

 **Anyways, review, favorite, and follow, and I'll see you all next time.**


	7. Organized Chaos

**Chapter 7: Organized Chaos**

I want to say that I woke up feeling strangely well rested, or that I was at least a bit sore from the battle last night. I really want to say that. But then I'd be lying. The little trip to my mindscape was basically a nightmare that I couldn't wake from of my own will, making any form of restful sleep basically impossible. What really woke me up in the first place, however, was the extreme amount of pain in my face and my arms.

I groaned as I rolled over and sat up. Apparently nobody saw it fit to at least wash my face off before dumping me in bed, because there was the crusty feeling of dried blood around my lips and nose. _Going off of this, I must have pushed my body to the limit last night...and then some._

 _ **[That would be an understatement after your little blood rage.]**_

 _Oh please tell me I didn't do a Naruto and lose control of my power in my rage._

 _ **[You didn't do a Naruto by losing control in your rage.]**_ I sighed in relief. _**[You instead summoned the soul of Alucard and abused his power to the point that it was funny to him.]**_ That made me stiffen right back up.

 _You gotta be kidding me! You mean the only reason I was able to channel him was because I somehow summoned his soul? What would've happened if I didn't summon him?_

Phantasos hummed in thought. _**[Probably the same, only the weapons you summoned would've been useless to you.]**_

 _How so? I could lift a 35 pound gun one handed easily. Especially after my training as an exorcist._

 _ **[Because the recoil would have broken your arms from the shoulder with how powerful the ammunition was and how often you were firing. It would have been the equivalent to an inexperienced user trying to fire a shotgun with only one hand. Or did you forget that Alucard was the only one to wield the guns in the first place?"**_

 _What gauge shotgun we talking? 20 or 12?_

 _ **[10 gauge. You'd be lucky if you just fell back with a dislocated shoulder if you tried that.]**_

I sighed as I stood up. Whoever brought me back knew were my room was in the church, narrowing down the list of suspects by quite a bit. Walking out to the hall brought me to the bathroom where I immediately picked up a washcloth and turned on the faucet, waiting for the water to warm before wetting the washcloth and wiping my face with it.

 _Do we know who brought me back here?_

 _ **[No. You were unconscious while I was trying to calm Alucard down.]**_

 _How the hell did he get here? He only exists as an anime character, both in this universe and my old one._

 _ **[According to him, he felt a tug on his soul and came for the sake seeing what was going on. You can guess what happened from there.]**_

 _Wait, so lemme see if I got this right. When I lost it, I not only tapped into Alucard's power, but I full on summoned him into my head?!_

 _ **[Essentially.]**_

I sighed before going back to my room to change.

 _Now I see why these limits were placed. I can only imagine what would have happened if I tried to use any techniques from something like Dragonball...I don't need Frieza or Vegeta in my head just because I do something stupid._

A note on the bedside table caught my attention. Impulse guided me to pick it up and read it.

 _James, when you wake up, call Azazel. He wants to know what happened when you lost yourself. ~Asia_

 _Oh goodie,_ I thought sarcastically, _this will be interesting._ Deciding it was best to get it done with, I grabbed my phone and selected the Grigori General's contact, waiting for him to pick up.

" _So you're finally awake, are ya?"_ his voice rang out.

"Yeah," I replied, "I heard you needed an update."

He chuckled. " _I guess you can say that. Just give me your summary of events."_

"Raynare sent Asia on a mission with Freed. Apparently, he took it too far and slaughtered the occupant of the house they lived in while Asia wasn't looking. By the time I got there, a devil was already engaging Freed in combat and getting royally whooped. Asia then stood in front of the devil, intent on defending him. So right before Freed slashed at her to try and scare her off, I struck myself. I unlocked another aspect of my Sacred Gear, taking on the abilities of a legendary priest with an endless supply of bayonetts."

" _We talking the full gun or just the blade?"_

"The blade. Blessed silver as a base."

" _Fancy."_

"Anyways, I held off Freed to give the two of them a chance to escape, but I eventually kicked him out of the house through a wall. However, when he started trying to justify trying to rape Asia, I lost it. I only saw red for about ten minutes. When I finally could see what I was doing, he was on the ground with one of his arms practically falling off and I was holding two guns that may as well have been hand cannons. That was when somebody...interesting showed up."

" _Oh? Who was it?"_

I debated telling him what I knew, mainly because I didn't know if he knew about my knowledge, and I didn't want to take the chance.

 _ **[Tell him.]**_ Phantasos urged. _**[It's more likely that Vali told him what happened as well.]**_

I nodded before speaking again. "It was a guy the was flying with white and blue metallic wings. He just happened to be the White Dragon Emperor."

" _Are you sure?"_

"Dude, he used Divine Dividing on me three times before I passed out. I'm pretty sure it was him."

" _It took three hits from that to knock you out? I'm a little impressed."_

"I'd blame it more on my Sacred Gear enhancing my body, but even then, it's still impressive."

" _So what will you do now?"_

I chuckled. "Isn't it obvious? I know for now that I'm not ready for that power yet. All it will take is some training to fix that, as well as finding out the next power I unlock."

" _You sure you should rush this? For all you know, your body could still need to recover."_

"Normally you'd be right. But I have an idea, and if it proves to be true, then I'll have a base to work from."

Azazel was quiet for a moment. " _If you say so. Just try not to overdo it."_

As we hung up, I sighed. Leaning back on my bed, I winced when my hand hit the sunlight from the window. _Probably a side effect of summoning Alucard. Great...If my hunch is correct, the I have less than twelve hours before the Gremory group comes here to get Asia._

Phantasos decided to chime in. _**[He has a point, you know. You really should let your body rest.]**_

 _You know why I can't do that. Especially now of all times._

 _ **[So how do you plan to fight them? With your white ranger form? I doubt that will have much of an effect.]**_

 _No, I have another idea._

Phantasos quickly saw where this was headed. _**[Do you not remember how long it took you to unlock the Hellsing form?! Even then, you still had problems controlling it before you summoned Alucard!]**_

 _Which is why we're using something similar._

 _ **[...Explain.]**_

 _What do you get when you essentially make Alucard and Anderson do the Fusion Dance?_

 _ **[I don't know.]**_

 _Look next to the Hellsing file. The answer should be there._

Some shuffling sounded through my mind. _**[What is TB supposed to mean? Tuberculosis?]**_

I grinned. _Not in this case. TB actually stands for the next form of power I need. It has its own seal on the form I'm looking for, and it works as a little extra…'flavor' if you know what I mean._

 _ **[What is it?...and what is up with that form?]**_

 _It's similar to Hellsing, only instead of being the King of Vampires, this guy is a vampire that feeds on other vampires and works for the Vatican in the aftermath of Armageddon. The series is called Trinity Blood._

 _ **[Well then...let's get started.]**_

* * *

Issei was downright pissed...again. Not only did Yuuma, or Raynare as she was called, show up again, but she also kidnapped Asia for some kind of ritual. Even after using his Sacred Gear, he still wasn't strong enough to stop them.

"' _Please, Issei, be my boyfriend!' What a joke! You fell for it though. Hook, line, and sinker."_

Raynare's bullshit struck him harder than he cared to admit. The fact that she even used his weakness for busty beauties gave him conflicting feelings of anger and respect. Which was why when he got back at her, he wasn't going to let her live.

He came to a decision as he ran down the sidewalk to the school. He had no other choice than to ask Rias for her help. He knew from this encounter that he couldn't do this on his own. He just wasn't strong enough. She also treated her servants like family, so she had to understand this much. And it wasn't like they didn't know where to go either.

Sunset painted the school grounds as he made his way into the old school building. There was no way this could possibly fail.

 _ **SLAP!**_

 _It totally failed._

"Let me try one more time," Rias scolded. "If I say don't, you don't. You have to forget about Asia and James. You are a member of the Gremory family now."

Issei grit his teeth, before sighing. "Fine," he replied bitterly, "then maybe it's time you release me from your household." He moved his glare to her face once more. "Because I refuse to just let them go."

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that."

"Of course not, I'm your precious pawn," he scoffed. "Can't do without your most important piece, can you?"

"That's enough, Issei." The sharpness of that statement made him flinch. She went on to explain how the evil piece system worked, how the pieces retained their abilities in the rules of chess and what attributes they originally grant. He would've tuned her out, but the concept was just interesting enough to keep him attentive.

Issei found himself understanding, and getting excited as she explained. "So I could eventually have the same powers as everyone else?"

"Yes, but only if the master declares it enemy territory, like say, for example, the Fallen Ones' church."

He noticed the wording of that statement, and memories of the previous day surfaced.

" _Tell her I said this; 'There's a big party going on tomorrow night, and if you're late, I will be most unpleased."_

 _That's right,_ he thought. _He wanted me to ask her for help. But since she's acting like this, I'll need to use this information to my advantage…_

"Now let's talk about your Sacred Gear," Rias' voice caught his attention again.

"Oh yeah, it doubles my power, right? Yuuma said-" he scowled upon mentioning her name. "I mean the Fallen Angel told me."

"Just feel," Rias encouraged, cupping his face with a hand. "Any Sacred Gear works in direct correlation to the current feelings of its owner. If you wanted to put it another way, the stronger those feelings are, the stronger your Sacred Gear will be."

Memories of James losing his temper flashed in the pervert's mind. "That explains a lot."

The busty redhead saw where his mind was going. "Yes, if you try to go too quickly, your body will break from the strain. However, your Sacred Gear shouldn't have that problem yet." She wanted to continue, but Akeno came and whispered something in her ear. She frowned, then nodded seriously. "Something's come up. Akeno and I need to step out for a minute." The two young women moved to the doorway.

"Wait a minute," Issei protested, "I still have some questions."

"Remember," Rias reminded as the teleportation circle lit up, "even promoted, a single devil can't stand up to a Fallen Angel." With that, the two girls disappeared in a flash of red.

Issei, acting on this new information, muttered to himself. "We'll just have to see about that." He smirked as Kiba and Koneko stood up with him. He knew he could count on his new friends when he needed it.

* * *

I sighed as I released my hold on the power, the gloves on my hand disappearing. It was almost time. It took most of the day to unlock the form I was looking for, but I felt the presence of another person in my head the moment I did. And long story short, he was easier to talk to about my problems than Alucard was.

Once we had formed an agreement, I worked on meditating to strengthen my control while using my Gear's power. It was going better than I'd hoped.

 _ **[Are you sure you're ready for this?]**_

 _Nope. But I'm going in anyway._

 _ **[I'm surprised they never thought to check on you, especially when you unlocked your newest form.]**_

 _As far as they're concerned, the power spikes were from their ritual machine setting up and I'm still unconscious in bed. They wouldn't think a normal human would wake up that quickly from exhaustion, even with a Sacred Gear._

 _ **[Still, you haven't completely recovered yet, so try not to overdo it again.]**_

The sound of the door slamming and wings flapping made me look out my window. Mittelt's gothic lolita dress barely covered her underwear in the wind as she flew to her post, the sunset growing dimmer.

 _Looks like Mittelt is on her way to her post…_

 _ **[And her grave, if events play out like you think they will.]**_

 _Not for my lack of trying, but that seems to be the most likely scenario._ I really did try to become friendly with her, but she just never returned the sentiment. It was easy to see why she fell, and it would be the reason why she never got on my list of people worth saving.

 _ **[What about Kalawarner?]**_

 _She'll probably be with Mittelt. Another shame, but one that I can't say I feel too bad about._ I stood from my bed and stretched, popping as many joints as I could to loosen myself up. _I apparently took longer than I thought. The others oughta be here soon._

 _ **[It's a shame Asia has to go through this. Are you really willing to reap the consequences should you fail to stop the machine in time?]**_

I hesitated to answer. _I have to. It's the only thing I can do._

Night came rather quickly, and I made my way to my door. When I tried to open it, however, I found the door jammed. _Oh we're playing this game are we?_

 _ **[It seems they don't want you interfering with the ritual.]**_

 _Unfortunately, they forgot about one little thing._ I hopped onto my bed and pulled out my gun. _My room has a window, and I have a gun._

* * *

Issei, Kiba, and Koneko crouched in the bushes outside the church when they arrived. Even from their spot they could feel the twisted holy energy permeating the place. Issei shuddered, still not used to sensing energy.

"Oh man, can you feel that?" he asked his two companions.

"No kidding," Kiba replied, "there must be a ton of priests in there."

"Seriously. Really though, I'm you guys are here."

Kiba smiled at the perv. "Hey come on, we're buddies, right?" His gaze sharpened and his voice dropped an octave. "Besides, Fallen Angels aren't exactly my favorite things in the world. Truth is, I hate them."

Issei didn't know how to respond to that. It wasn't until Koneko got up that he began to focus again.

"Hey, don't just walk off like that," he whisper-yelled.

"No need to be sneaky," she countered monotonously, "they know we're here." She was about to raise her leg when the sound of glass breaking got their attention.

Nodding to each other, they snuck around to the side they heard it from when a heavy impact to the ground made them freeze, tense for combat.

"Okay, note to self," a familiar voice grunted, "learn to roll like Link instead of doing the superhero landing." They looked where the sound came from, seeing a familiar exorcist lying on the ground on his butt, rubbing his sore shoulder.

"James?" Issei blurted.

Said teen looked up from his spot on the ground. "Oh, what up, guys? We really need to stop meeting like this, Issei."

"What are you doing here? I thought you'd be inside already."

"I would be...except the Fallen here learned not to trust me. When I went to leave my room, they had jammed the door so it wouldn't budge when I tried to open it. However, they forgot the part where my room had a window and they never took my weapons."

"Do you plan on stopping us?" Kiba asked with a disarming smile.

James snorted as he stood up. "Oh please. If anything, I'm ensuring this op of yours goes without a hitch. Just depends on if you're willing to follow my lead every now and then."

"Just don't get in the way," Koneko stated.

"Funny thing, Miss Loli," he chuckled. "I was gonna say the same thing." He looked to Kiba. "Knowing this place like I do, most of, if not all, the exorcists will be in the basement where the ritual is happening. The only exception would be one, and he's not exactly someone I'd be alone in a dark room with for more than a second. He's most likely gonna be guarding the main entrance."

"So what do we do then?" Issei asked hurriedly.

James just smirked. "Who's the tank of the team here?" Koneko raised her hand. "You'll probably be the best person to go against this guy. Who's the speed demon of the group?"

Kiba raised his hand. "I'm a knight of Rias Gremory. My name is Kiba Yuuto."

James nodded. "It would be a good idea for you to stick with her since you're attributes are basically Yin and Yang." The perv looked confused at the phrasing.

"He means since our pieces are opposites," Kiba translated, "they cover for each other's weaknesses."

James nodded again. "Exactly. Thank you Kiba. Issei, you and I are going underside get Asia. Sound like a plan?"

"Hell yeah," Issei replied.

"How many exorcists are there?" Koneko asked.

"Never seen all of them at once, so I couldn't tell you. Just enough to keep the place running without drawing suspicion. Any other questions?" Nobody spoke up. "Then let's get this mission going."

Everyone made their way to the front of the church where Koneko kicked the door open. The moonlight filtered through the windows as dust settled on the pews and the light barely reached the broken crucifix in the center of the altar. As they all stepped inside, Issei shuddered again.

"This place is creepy," he muttered. Claps sounded through the room as Freed stepped out of the shadows.

"So we meet again!" he crowed. "Glad you could make it. I bet I'm a sight for sore eyes."

"Yeah right," Issei growled.

"Maybe," James yelled back, "if the person hadn't seen any other sign of humanity for years on end...even then, they'd probably run back to solitude after one look at your crazy ass."

Freed seemed to ignore James as he began his monologue. "I pride myself on the fact that I never fight any devil more than once. Yet here you are, just rubbing it in. If there's one thing I won't abide, it's being mocked by maggot devils in the house of God!" He reached into his robes and pulled out his weapons. "So what do you say? Let's finish this!" He gained his insane look in the eyes. "The thought of tearing your flesh from your bodies is making my mouth water," he commented, licking his gun.

"No, a beam katana is different from a lightsaber because unlike the lightsabers, which all have one form of blade and handle, a beam katana can differ in size, shape, color, and weight," James argued.

"It's still a bad knockoff and you know it," Koneko countered. "It was only called that so the creator couldn't get sued for copyright infringement."

"HEY DON'T IGNORE ME!" Freed yelled indignantly. "You know how long it took me to come up with that monologue?"

"Ten minutes?" James guessed, raising an eyebrow. He then looked at Kiba. "Remember when I said the dude who ran the Holy Sword Project was one of two people an exorcist is warned against becoming?"

"Yeah," Kiba hesitantly replied.

"This guy is the other one."

"Oh please," Freed chuckled, "I'd think I'm like a goal to be reached."

"Look," James sighed, getting serious, "why not just skip the banter and get to us going past you to get Asia and GTFO."

"Do you honestly think I'm letting you through here?"

James just smirked. "Not all of us. NOW!" The three boys ducked as Koneko tossed one of the pews over their heads and hit the rogue priest. "Alright! Nice shot! Iseei, let's go. You guys got this, Kiba?"

"In the bag," Kiba smiled as he made another sword.

"You're pretty strong for a runt, aren't you?" Freed taunted.

Koneko deadpanned, her eyebrow twitching. "Suck it." She began throwing more pews at the stray exorcist causing him to jump out of the way. Kiba jumped into the air as Freed shot his gun, kicking up a cloud of dust. When Freed finally stopped running, the teen swordsman shot down, ready to impale the priest. Quickly, though, Freed brought his own lightsaber to block, starting a deadly but continuous clash of blades.

While they were occupied, Issei and James made their way to the altar and, after finding the right switch, activated the secret door. Issei looked to the battle in slight awe.

"Wow Kiba's a total badass, isn't he?" he muttered.

"You think this is nuts," James replied, "just wait till you see what I cooked up. Now stop screwing around and let's go." Issei nodded and the two made their way into the basement.

* * *

"You have any abilities as one of Rias Gremory's evil pieces?" I asked, knowing the answer already. The stairs were surprisingly long for a trip to the basement, though it gave us some time to plan.

Issei seemed to remember his pieces ability. "That's right, I can promote if I'm in declared enemy territory."

"A pawn, huh? Well, looks like that will be our ace in the hole. Promote once we get down there. I have a feeling there will be a surprise waiting for us."

And I was not disappointed. Asia was on an altar chained to a cross, while Raynare stood next to her. Surrounding them was a group of around 50 stray priests, ready for a fight.

"Asia!" he called before glaring at Raynare. "You let her go right now!"

"Come on in, devils," she greeted casually. "Welcome to the party. Though I'm afraid you're too late." She didn't seem too surprised that I was here.

"You sure about that, Raynare?" I asked.

Asia looked up tiredly from her spot on the cross. "Issei...James...you came."

Issei made to run for her, only for me to pull him back as Raynare launched a spear. I deflected it with a quick draw of my lightsaber.

"This really is a touching reunion," the Fallen Angel taunted. "But the ritual is already over." As if reacting to her words, the cross began glowing green, and Asia started to scream.

"Issei, do it," I yelled, pulling out my gun.

"Promotion! Rook!" The stray priests took that as their chance to attack. Before Raynare could start bragging again, I aimed my gun and fired, destroying the chain holding Asia up.

"What?!"

"Did you honestly think I'd sit back and let you do something like this, Raynare? I told you once before…" I quickly made my way to their position while the cross started to shoot green and black lightning. Asia tried to run, but her exhaustion slowed her down to where Raynare could catch her and strap her back to the cross. As she did this, however, Raynare found her neck at the business end of my sword. "I'm her bodyguard. It's my job to worry about her."

"What," Raynare smirked again, "do you think you scare me? Because Light has no effect on Fallen Angels."

I just chuckled again. "True...but what about blood?"

Her smirk disappeared. "You're bluffing. I heard about your fight with Freed. There's no way you got control of it that quickly."

"You're right. I didn't."

"Then why are you so smug?"

I just chuckled again. "Nanomachine: Crusnik 02. Power output 40% activate."

* * *

Freed, Kiba and Koneko paused in their fight, feeling the twisted holy energy of the church get worse.

"You feel that, Koneko?" Kiba asked.

She nodded, readying her gloves for a bigger fight.

Freed just looked at the ground. "It seems the ritual hit a snag...or something worse is here." He grinned. "Not that this wasn't fun, but I'm not sticking around for this bullshit. Sayonara, devil scum!" He threw down a flash grenade and ran for it. By the time the two devils regained their sight, he was gone.

"Over here," Koneko called, smashing the altar to reveal the stairs to the basement.

Kiba nodded, joining her. "I don't know what this is, nor can I say if it's good for us or not."

"Be careful, got it." With that, the two of them made their way down the stairs.

* * *

Raynare dropped Asia and kicked away from me to get distance. She flew into the air, seeing my body undergoing the transformation. "What is this?"

My normally curly brown hair straightened and turned stark white, standing on end as my now black fingernails tore through the gloves I wore. Two fangs poked from underneathe my now blackened lips and my eyes glowed red. "Humans eat the bodies of cows and birds," I quoted, my voice gaining a growl. "Vampires drink the blood of humans. So what about a being higher up on the food chain? This is the power of a Crusnik; a vampire that preys on other vampires."

Blood seeped up from the ground, gathering around my right hand and turning into a giant scythe. The stray priests noticed this, looking on in fear.

"Dude, holy shit," Issei gasped. "This is like what happened last night!"

"Not entirely," Kiba disagreed, making the perv jump from his sudden entrance. "This is like something slightly weaker than that...or rather, better controlled. Not just that, but his energy is different from that time."

Raynare simply readied a spear of light. "If you're really a vampire now, that means you hold the same weakness to holy energy!" She launched it, grinning madly when it kicked up another dust cloud. "Fat lot of good that did, don't you-WHAT?!"

The dust slowly cleared, revealing that I held the maroon spear in my hand, centimeters away from my eye where it would have struck. "Normally you'd be right," I grunted, squeezing my hand to dispel the spear. "However, this crusnik wasn't weakened by holy energy; he was strengthened by it. He used his power to help those who couldn't help themselves, going as far as to become a priest for the Vatican's secret organization that kept the supernatural in check, specifically the creatures of the night known as methuselah."

"And just who is this man you keep referring to?" the Fallen Angel scoffed. "Your teacher from training? Your missing father figure?"

I chuckled. "No. Just a man I respect. His name is Father Abel Nightroad. And his power will help me stop you, Raynare." She growled, ready to reach for Asia again, only for my blood scythe to block her arm. I looked toward the group of devils. "Issei, come get Asia. Everyone else is to make sure the two of them make it out of here safely. I'll take care of Raynare."

Asia got up and made her way toward Issei who made his way to the massive altar a lot quicker. Taking this as their cue, Kiba and Koneko began their assault on the rouge priests to keep the way clear for the two. Shots fired but none of them hit their mark as the two of them were either too fast or too agile to hit.

Raynare launched a flurry of punches at me, trying to score a hit to distract me. I simply blocked her strikes with the handle of my scythe before kicking her stomach. As she doubled over, I slashed my claws across her chest, nearly cutting off her top. She flew back getting more distance from me.

"You're lucky that I have a sense of decency," I told her. "Had I continued, everyone here that wasn't a supernatural creature would be passed out with blood gushing from their noses."

Raynare just growled and readied two more light spears. In response, I held my scythe ready to block them. She roared, firing her spears and our fight resumed.

* * *

Issei had brought Asia to the sanctuary and the two of them sat down on one of the pews, trying to catch their breath. It was probably the safest they were gonna be in enemy territory, all things considered. Neither of them said anything, trying to sort out their own thoughts. Issei in particular looked like something was bugging him, more than this entire operation.

After seeing three transformations using James' Sacred Gear, he was starting to see a pattern with the powers. He recognized all of them. While he couldn't say he was an avid watcher, he had seen a lot of anime in his life, and he recognized the power his exorcist friend was using now. It was as if he called upon whatever piece of fiction he knew and pulled abilities from it at the drop of a hat.

"I'll have to ask Rias what she knows about it later," he muttered to himself.

"What?" Asia asked, barely heard him.

 _Or I could ask the one who's been around him longest._ "I'm wondering about James' Sacred Gear. I've seen all the powers he's used before, but in different anime. What's up with that?"

Asia tilted her head cutely. "What's an anime?"

Issei laughed awkwardly. _Right, heavily sheltered in the church…_ "It's a show that was made here in Japan that is animated in a certain style, hence the name anime." Asia nodded, understanding most of it. "From what I've seen so far, James must've seen at least some anime to come up with those powers."

"What do you mean?"

"I recognize the powers he used when he fought that Freed dick, as well as that other Fallen Angel who somehow redeemed himself. I mean, that second one wasn't an anime, but it's still a fictional power I've seen. What is it about his Sacred Gear that makes him able to use them?"

Asia thought for a moment before shaking her head. "I don't know. He's barely had the Sacred Gear unlocked for more than a week, and somehow he's done so much with it." She stared at her hands sullenly. "It took me a month before I could control Twilight Healing myself. Even longer before I could heal wounds that were normally fatal. Seeing James like this...makes me a little jealous."

Issei couldn't help but nod in agreement. According to Rias, his own Sacred Gear was dormant. He needed to find his own way to fully awaken it. Unfortunately, he had nowhere to start, and seeing James able to use his Sacred Gear's abilities like nobody's business made him wonder how strong he really was.

He suddenly stood up, readying his Sacred Gear into existence. Asia jumped at the movement.

"What wrong?" she gasped.

"Someone's coming," he replied. The sound of thick heels on stone echoed from outside, confirming his statement. "You should probably hide, Asia." She only nodded, running toward the nearby confessional and getting in on the priest side. "I'm not letting anyone take her away again. I'll protect her with my life!" he declared.

 _ **{BOOST!}**_

* * *

The bodies of the stray priests were spread around the basement floor as Raynare and James bounced off the walls and floor, trying to land a decisive hit. The boost his abilities got from this form were almost as amazing as the Hellsing form, only this time, he knew where to stop and draw the line.

"Let me ask you, Raynare," he rasped. "How was stealing Asia's Sacred Gear supposed to help you?"

"We're trying to get back into Heaven," she restated. "We'd need all the help we can get." She slashed at the boy with a light spear, only for him to parry it with his scythe.

"What then? Will you try to take over? Will you try to plead your case? I fail to see how Twilight Healing would help you in that regard."

Raynare hesitated before shaking her head and charging again. "I don't see why I should tell you anything!"

James dodged her strike and punched her in the stomach a few times before kicking her away. "If you're just trying to get back in a good light, this is far from what you should be doing. The only thing you'll succeed in doing is reigniting the war between factions." Raynare paused in her attacks, breathing heavily. "The only thing you are doing right now is pushing your soul further into damnation."

Raynare wanted to lash out at him, scream that he was wrong, that he could never understand, but that little voice in her mind spoke back a single question. _Is he wrong?_

"What do you mean?" she panted/growled.

"Stealing Asia's Sacred Gear breaks two commandments," he explained, "thou shalt not steal, and thou shalt not kill. Those alone are reason enough to put you in the gulag, but using Twilight Healing for yourself to break into Heaven? Not only would that be wrong, it wouldn't even work if you're a frontline fighter."

Raynare straightened up, but kept her guard. "How?"

The exorcist facepalmed. "Have you never played any sort of puzzle or strategy game? RPG's for crying out loud! Twilight Healing is a purely support type artifact. It has no combat ability on its own, no matter who wields it. A Twice Critical is more useful than it is in combat." She didn't know whether to grimace or scowl as he explained further. "Even then, you'd never wield it like Asia can."

"And how would you know?" she spat.

"Because she's spent years perfecting her ability with it. She's had a lot of practice with it. And from my own research into Sacred Gears, they aren't as effective when stolen from someone else. Even if you spent double the time practicing the ability, you'd only be 75% as good at healing...and that's being generous."

She wanted to call him on his bluff. Scream at him for being wrong. Kill him for questioning her motives. But that little voice repeated its question. She fell to her knees, screaming in anger. She punched the ground, making cracks in the already old foundation.

"So what do you suggest?" she eventually bit out. "How do you expect me to get back into Heaven's good graces?"

A small, but genuine, smile danced across his dark lips. "I believe there's a little room upstairs that will be a good place to start. That is, if you truly want this."

Raynare scoffed. "You'd have me go through that just for your dumb protocols?"

James just shook his head. "No. Rather, because that's the foundation this church was built on."

Koneko and Kiba saw this scene but couldn't bring themselves to step in. Instead, they were wondering what just happened. Somehow, James was able to talk down someone who was just hellbent on killing to get their way. They couldn't tell if it was him or the power of his Sacred Gear talking, but whatever it did worked.

James looked at the two devils. "I believe we can call this mission complete. Go ahead and tell the others to clear out, and to take care of Asia for a while longer. Raynare and I have some business to finish up."

Kiba immediately got what he was saying. "Yeah. Issei should be happy to hear that." The two turned, ready to make their way upstairs.

"No…"

James looked back toward Raynare. "What?"

"I can't...not like this…"

"Not like what?"

The Fallen Angel glared, her eyes practically glowing with rage. "I won't let it end like this!" In an instant, she was up in the air again, shooting toward the stairs before anyone could react.

"Raynare, don't!" I yelled, going after her.

* * *

"I'm glad you have your guard up, Issei," Rias complimented as she entered the church, "but there's nothing to worry about from out here."

Issei sighed in relief. "Glad it's just you and Akeno, Prez."

"Oh?" Akeno teased as she walked from behind Rias. "Were you expecting someone else?"

He shrugged. "For a second, I thought that the Fallen Angels had backup trying to get in."

"We took care of those a long time ago. Even cleaned up the evidence." The fact that she said this with a smile sent a small shiver down Issei's spine.

A small, red spell circle lit up by the two young ladies' ears. "Rias," Kiba yelled urgently, "The last Fallen is making her way up from the basement now! She's trying a last ditch move for the nun!"

Almost as soon as he said that, a black blur shot up from the ground, stopping about ten feet in the air. Raynare's eyes darted around the room desperately, trying to find her target. Her eyes landed on Issei and she growled almost animalistically.

"Where is she?!" the Fallen Angel roared.

"Away from you, Yuuma!" Issei yelled back.

Her glare widened as she screamed again. "Do you have any idea what you've done?!"

"I'm protecting my friend from something trying to kill her!"

 _ **{BOOST!}**_

"You have no idea what you're doing!" Raynare yelled. "She's the only way we'll get back to heaven!"

"Does it look like I give a damn?! Stealing her Sacred Gear something I won't forgive!"

 _ **{BOOST!}**_

Raynare saw no other option, and screamed, diving toward Rias' pawn. Issei saw the blind rage in her eyes as he pulled his left fist back. Once she got close enough, there was only one warning before impact and a flash of green light.

 _ **{BOOST!}**_

Issei's now gauntlet covered fist slammed into her face, shooting the Fallen Angel into the wall behind the altar. This was the scene I came upon after running up the stairs with Kiba and Koneko on my heels.

"Impossible," Raynare wheezed, pulling herself out of the wall. "That's just a Twice Critical. There's no way you should be this strong."

"Sorry," Rias replied unapologetically, "but I'm afraid that's where you're wrong."

"What?"

"Issei's Sacred Gear is only that form when dormant. Because he awakened it, however...my suspicions were confirmed. He has the Longinus Class Boosted Gear."

"Aka," I finished, "the Sacred Gear of the Red Dragon Emperor."

Raynare's eyes widened. "No way…" She then grinned maniacally, as if she remembered something. "You didn't think I was the only one here, did you? I still have other Fallen Angels that will avenge me!"

"Oh, you mean the other two outside?" Akeno replied with that same smile. "We got rid of them pretty easily."

Raynare lost her desperate grin as the world seemed to crash around her. She really was the last of her squad. She couldn't go back to Azazel because Kokabiel would get to her first, and she couldn't run away for very long for the same reason.

"So are you ready to accept your fate?" Rias asked, igniting her hand with the Power of Destruction.

I immediately stepped in front of her. "Slow your roll there, Miss Gremory. She has some unfinished business with me."

Her sharp gaze shifted to me, frowning. "Why must you insist on getting in my way?"

"Because you don't know what happened in the basement," I replied with my own, still red glare. "I had her ready to stand down, and own up for what she's done."

"What difference does it make? She's a Fallen Angel. They're known for feeding on desires similar to devils."

"Because unlike devils, she still has a chance to redeem herself." That made her soften her glare slightly. "Remember what happened with Dohnaseek? The last guy you saw me fight? What was the scene you came upon when you came back?"

Rias closed her eyes in thought. "Black and white...feathers."

"And what did I tell you that meant?"

She lowered her hand. "He was on his way to redemption."

I nodded. "Now do you see why she and I have unfinished business?"

She sighed before turning to her pawn. "What do you think, Issei?"

The perv looked shocked that he was brought into the conversation. "Wait, what?"

"You have the most to gain from this," Rias reminded. "So what do you think should happen to this Fallen Angel?"

His hair shadowed his eyes as he went completely silent. I could tell he wanted Raynare to pay for killing him. He wanted her to suffer like he did. Especially for targeting him and Asia.

"I want her to pay for what she's done," he eventually decided. "Everything, including killing me and trying to steal Asia's Sacred Gear." Rias looked like she was about to gloat when he continued. "But she can't own up for her crimes if she dies here." He glared at the Fallen Angel in question. "I can't forgive you for what you've done. Not now. I probably won't for a long time. But at the very least I can make sure you fix what you started."

I nodded. "Then we both know what needs to be done." I turned to Raynare as my appearance returned mostly normal, the exception being my white hair, which was still very straight, though it now rested on my head naturally. "Are you ready?"

The Fallen Angel nodded in defeat as we made our way to the confessional. As the door closed on Raynare's side, I opened mine, only to find Asia curled up in the booth. I shook my head chuckling. "Only you would think to hide in here." I guided her out to the pews and closed the door, blocking out the world except for Raynare and me. "In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen."

Raynare sighed again. "Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. It's been 300 years since my last confession…"

* * *

Asia stared at the confessional with mixed feelings. She wanted to believe that there was good in everyone, but she couldn't bring herself to believe that about this Fallen Angel.

 _This must be how James felt back when I healed that devil and got excommunicated._ It made her conflicted, which wasn't something she liked.

"What're they doing in there?" Issei asked scratching his head.

"The sacrament of reconciliation," Asia replied, folding her hands.

"What's that do?"

"It's confessing your sins before the Lord and asking for forgiveness. This puts the soul back into a state of grace so it can go to Heaven."

"So that's why there were white feathers when the other Fallen died," Kiba realized. "His soul was put into a state of grace again, thus purifying his wings."

"But why give it to the Fallen Angels?" Issei frowned. "If they broke the rules, what's to stop them from doing it again?"

"'Because that's what he church was founded on,' at least, that's what James said in the basement," Kiba replied.

"Wait, what?"

"The church was founded on the basis of forgiveness of sins," Asia explained. "That if you believe Jesus Christ died for our sins, you would always be forgiven." She didn't see the peerage wince at the name. "Put simply, it's like looking at a dish towel. When you first get it from the store, it's completely white; clean; pure. But after a while, it becomes stained from constant use. Confession is like putting that towel into a washing machine to clean it up."

Issei 'Oh'd in understanding as it fell silent again, aside from the small murmurs coming from the confessional.

"But why go to another room?" Koneko asked.

"Because you are only confessing to one person," Asia replied, "not to the world. What is talked about in there stays in there. Every priest has to take a vow of secrecy for whatever happens in there." **(1)**

* * *

"...and to top it off," Raynare finished, sobbing, "I've tried to steal a Sacred Gear from one of the purest souls on the earth because I thought I could use it better."

A hum was heard from the other side of the screen. "Is that everything?"

She gave a shuddered sigh. "Yes, that's all."

"As much as I want to say otherwise, yours is not the first case of killing or stealing I've heard, and it probably won't be the last." It occurred to her now that the voice on the other end was not as blunt as James normally was. "But I can say you are lucky that you were stopped from continuing. If not for that, you would not be sitting here. This doesn't change that you've broken many commandments and Fallen very far from grace."

"That's the least of my worries," she scoffed. "When Kokabiel finds out I failed in obtaining Twilight Healing, I'll be a dead woman walking."

A snap made her look up, making her gasp at what she saw through the screen. In addition to the straight silver hair James sported earlier, she saw a mop of straight brown hair surrounding a man with a short, but full beard and soft, grey eyes sitting across from him. Yet James didn't notice anything. "You still found it in you to come here to confess. When Jesus hung on the cross, he was surrounded by two thieves, one truly repentant, the other mocking him. You remind me more of the repentant thief, in the sense that you know you did wrong, and you know you deserve whatever punishment comes your way." This made Raynare look down again shamefully.

"In that sense," the other man spoke up, "for your penance, say one Rosary a day for the sorrowful mysteries for the next year while serving under Saint Michael for the next fifty. Now make your Act of Contrition."

She muttered the prayer as her mind whirled at what she just heard. Serving under Michael? Why place her that close to the highest commander of the Angels aside from God himself? _No,_ she thought. _This is a fresh start for me. I can't afford to screw this up._

"...I firmly resolve, with the help of thy grace, to sin no more, and to avoid the near occasion of sin. Amen."

"Through the ministry of the church, may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen."

"Amen."

"Your sins are forgiven. Go in peace." She looked up again, but only saw James on the other side of the screen. "Oh, and by the way, give this to Michael when you get there. It will explain the situation to him." He pushed a small note in one of the cracks between the wall and screen. As she went to take it, he held on tight, making her look at him, only to see a pair of sharp, blue-grey eyes staring back. "Your penance will be slow, I can assure you of that. But you will find your connection to God reestablished as time goes on. Just be patient, and no matter what anyone else says, you were forgiven here and now."

She nodded, taking the note fully before getting out of the confessional. "Thank you," she muttered, bringing a genuine smile to the teen's face again before she took off into the night.

* * *

Asia saw Raynare close the door to the confessional before clenching her fist and flying away from the church, shedding feathers as she left. But one caught her attention. The single white feather that floated to her hand.

The sound of the other door opening made her look up, seeing her now brown haired bodyguard stumble out of the booth. She ran to him as he leaned on the nearby pew, catching him in a tight hug.

"Glad to see you're alright, Asia," he breathed heavily. "Just have one question for you guys."

"What's that?" Asia asked.

"Anybody know what happened in the last ten minutes? Because I'm drawing a blank."

"Hang on, what do you mean?" Issei asked. "You just went in and-"

"I might have an idea," Rias interjected. "Does your Sacred Gear have a spirit in it?"

Realization set in his eyes as he facepalmed. "I seriously have to learn to control that…"

The devils shared a small chuckle at this. "What will you do now?" Rias asked.

James sighed, "One thing has become abundantly clear since I got here. No matter how much I try, I can't always be here for Asia when she needs it. This was proven especially well tonight when she almost lost her life and Sacred Gear."

"What are you saying, James?" Asia asked.

"I'm saying that I can't be your bodyguard anymore...not while I can barely keep up with someone like the Fallen Angels with only one pair of wings." He directed his gaze to the redhead devil. "Therefore, I'm entrusting her care to you."

Rias rose an eyebrow. "Where did this come from? It seemed like you kept up with them pretty well."

"It's because I have a lot to learn about my own power. Even sealed, It was taking everything I had to not lose my mind and go further than I needed to. Like a feral growling in my head was telling me to utterly break her before killing her. I don't want that happening when I'm trying to protect Asia only to find out I lost myself and killed everyone and everything around me."

"You're referring to your fight with the Stray Exorcist, Freed Sellzen."

"Yeah. I don't want to lose myself because something in my head latched onto my emotions. Until I learn better control, I'm not fit to guard Asia."

She looked over to the girl in question. "Are you okay with this?"

Asia shook her head. "James, you are more than I could ever ask for in a friend and bodyguard. You're always looking out for me when I need you, and have never let me down yet."

"But do you really want to take the risk of me losing myself because I tried to obtain too much power? I need to focus one training the abilities I have right now before trying to go further or obtaining more. I can't do that while guarding you and doing my job as an exorcist at the same time."

"But you can't just leave either!" She had him there.

"I have a solution for the both of you," Rias interjected again. "You could both become members of my peerage. You both could stay here and learn to control your abilities as well."

"I'm gonna have to stop you right there," James held up a hand. "As cool as that would be, it wouldn't be good for me to suddenly turn traitor on the man upstairs."

"Then I-" Asia started before she was interrupted.

"Asia, on the other hand, would benefit greatly from it." She looked at her friend in shock and confusion. "She needs experience in combat that I can't give her. You're the only devil I trust to properly train her and take care of her." He smiled bitterly. "Besides, she'll be around Issei. They get along really well."

"But what about you?" Asia yelled.

"Simple. I'm gonna be calling the Vatican and telling them what happened. As far as they know, Asia Argento died after she was kidnapped by Fallen Angels. There won't be anyone from the church coming after you."

"That doesn't answer my question, James."

"In my case, they're gonna be paying for my schooling here until I graduate high school." His smile grew a little. "At the very least, I'll still be in town."

Asia wanted to protest more, but couldn't find it in her to argue. He seemed to have thought this through. She sighed but relented.

"Alright. I'll become a member of your peerage, Miss Gremory."

* * *

"Hello, my name is James. I'm from America and will be starting here as a second year. It's nice to meet everyone."

"My name is Asia Argento. It's nice to meet everyone."

"Does the class have any questions for James and Asia before we begin?" The class freaked over Asia being so dang cute in her introduction. "One at a time!"

"Is everything in America bigger than here?" one girl asked me.

"Yes," I replied. "This especially true in the state of Texas."

"Is Asia's hair really that long?" another girl asked.

"Yes?" Asia answered tilting her head cutely in confusion. "It's rare for me to get it cut any shorter than my shoulders."

"James, do you prefer butts or boobs?" Issei's friend Motohama asked me.

I leveled a small glare. "Actually, I judge a girl based on their personality."

"You may take your seats now," the teacher sighed.

We nodded and took our seats on opposite ends of the room, with me heading toward the back. I passed between the perverted trio and smirked, leaning into Motohama's ear and whispering one thing that made him fall back with a nosebleed.

"Also her dick sucking lips."

...What?

I've been around the internet.

* * *

 **(1):** This is, in fact, something the Catholic Church enforces. It's like Vegas; whatever happens there, stays there.

 **A/N: I got stuck a couple of times on this chapter because there was so much I wanted to do with it. Add to that the stress of my own real life problems, and I'm basically in writing hell. But I managed to pull this chapter through the ringer and here it is.**

 **Be sure to Follow, Favorite, and Review, and I'll see you all next time.**


	8. Give Me a Home-And a Place to Freak Out

**Chapter 8: Give Me a Home…and a Place to Freak Out**

" _So you expect me to just let you take Rias away because of a marriage contract that was made without her consent?" I rose an eyebrow at the well dressed playboy._

" _That is precisely what you are going to do." Riser smugly replied._

" _And how much crack were you smoking when you got that idea?"_

" _Excuse you?"_

" _Look, you miserable excuse for a fuckboy, in this day and age, arranged marriages never end well. Not to mention they are illegal in most countries, including this one. Add on to the fact that you haven't even made your case about why she's supposed to go along with this, and you can see where my information is lacking."_

" _Tch. I don't expect a lowly human to understand how devil nobility operates. It's a matter of politics. With pure blooded devils becoming a dying race, a marriage like this is important to our kind."_

" _Yet another reason why politics are bullshit excuses for people to complain. All I've seen it do is complicate non-problems into complete disasters because one idiot couldn't phrase something just the right way."_

" _And how exactly would you solve this?"_

" _By letting both parties be able to choose their partner in the end. You know, like a normal person." I looked at the rest of the devils in the room. "Honestly how retarded do you have to be to not consider_ that _option?"_

 _Riser growled. "You will pay for your insolence."_

 _I turned my half lidded gaze back to the Phenex heir, shitlord smirk on my face. "Oh, and what are you going to do? Grab that guy who can stop me? What was his name? Michael McDoesn'tExist?"_

 _He threw a punch at my face, his fist covered in fire. Before I could block, something flashed, and a feeling of falling took over for a second._

* * *

I jerked up in my bed, gasping in a cold sweat. It took a minute for my thoughts to catch up with me as I looked at the clock nearby.

3:47 AM.

 _Damn, that was a weird dream._

 _ **[Do you really believe that?]**_

I looked out my window into the dark sky, the crescent moon giving just enough light to make out the shapes of the nearby trees. _Honestly, I don't know what to believe. With the way my Sacred Gear has been acting the last few times I've used it, I'm starting to think it's messing with my head._

 _ **[It could be a vision of what is to come.]**_

I yawned, looking at Asia, who slept next to me on the large bed. _That's what I'm afraid of._ I sighed, laying back in bed to try and sleep some more. _When he does show his ass, I don't know if I'll be able to keep myself in check._

* * *

Even though I like being able to settle on one spot for more than a couple months, it was hard for me to get used to completely staying in Kuoh. Which really tripped me up, because I had already been here for almost two weeks at this point, and Rias was letting Asia and me stay in the old school building while she found us a place to live. But the fact that I had nothing to do and couldn't relax left me rather...jumpy.

Oh don't get me wrong, the new card I got from the Vatican was nice, complete with a 150,000 yen (or roughly $1500) monthly spending limit. But it was more to do with the fact that I had been holding back my inner fanboy while dealing with my enemies. Now, I got over it with Asia, but that was mostly due to extended exposure to her company. Every time I saw one of the Gremory peerage, however, it just made awkward feelings. I know they're devils and the church here says I'm supposed to hate them, but at the same time, they're pretty much the exception to what the church teaches. Yes, they still encourage people to sin, but not to the point of crossing a line.

The only minute bit of release I got was during the day. While I was going to school (ugh), it took most of my effort to not kill his two friends when they tried to invite me on their pervy escapades to the girls' locker room. Even then, I'd sneak after them and blow their cover before they could run away. Needless to say, the kendo club had nothing to fear from me. Matsuda and Motohama on the other hand…

"P-please don't t-tie us up ag-g-gain," the bald boy stuttered.

"We p-promise we won't d-d-do it anymore," his glasses wearing friend begged.

I rolled my eyes. "Now where have we heard that before?"

"H-hey, dude come on! We were just messing around!" Motohama pleaded.

I just rose an eyebrow. "You mean like the last three times I caught you guys in the past week?" They just nodded. I just laughed for a minute before looking back at their fear filled faces. "Wait, you're serious? Lemme laugh even harder." I proceeded to do so as their hopes shattered to dust and sweat poured down their faces. "Alright girls let'em have it. Just remember, papa's fare; stay away from the face."

Long story short, the girls coming out of the bushes had the time of their lives beating the hell out of those two. Where was Issei in all this? He was still handing out fliers to people. Since it was still technically club time, he was required to be present for his required duties, and thus couldn't be with his friends getting their asses kicked. It was for the best though. Besides, Koneko is usually enough of a deterrent when he's in the clubroom thinking about his friends…"activities" and how he'd love to join them again.

I'd gotten a lot better on controlling myself around Rias and and her group, especially Kiba, but I know for a fact that they still don't fully trust me. Most likely because I'm still technically an exorcist. Or Rias is still salty that I rejected her offer to join her peerage.

Aside from them, not much changed in terms of our relationships. Rias was still fairly wary, but stayed cordial when we passed each other in the halls.

Akeno sent me looks that bordered between mischievous big sister and scary-ass demon lady, but never did more than that.

Kiba pretty much avoided me as much as he could, but managed to keep things civil should that prove ineffective.

Asia still hung out with me like when we travelled together.

Issei and I basically had shitposting contests at random times with anime memes...or in his case, hentai memes…

As for Koneko? While we weren't complete best friends like I was with Asia and Issei, we were close enough that she could hang out with me every now and then, be it at the sweet shops or playing Magic...yes, they had that here.

While I didn't have my original collection, they had a shop selling Magic the Gathering here that I quickly sunk a chunk of change into. She and I would spend hours playing with our own decks whenever we had free time (meaning anytime there wasn't school or contracts she had to fill). Short version, she was on her way to giving Wizards of the Coast a reason to create that Cat Tribal deck for Commander 2017.

Since the fight at the church a few days ago, we'd been living in the ORC room while going to school here. It's been...interesting to say the least. Today was the day Asia decided to shower and do laundry...which meant hanging her clothes on a line in the main area where the others met. Koneko saw the clothes line when she walked in and instinctively glared at me.

"Don't bother blaming me," I deadpanned, "I told her it was a bad spot for the clothesline, but she didn't want to go between the shower and the bedroom by walking through here." Her glare didn't let up. "Tl;dr, she's too innocent to know how ecchi logic works." I shrugged helplessly. "Think of it this way; when the perv walks in, you'll have an excuse to give him hell for it." She softened her glare to her normal neutral look and waited behind the door with her bag of sweets.

Not two minutes later, the man himself walked in. "Sup, you guys?" His greeting died in his throat as he stared at Asia's underwear, the joyous look of perversion decorating his face. As he pieced together who it belonged to, I smugly looked at Koneko, mouthing 'called it' under my breath.

Her glare returned as she pulled a plastic lobster from...somewhere (most likely her bag, but ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ anime logic) and walked up behind him.

"Whoa, I'm totally holding a titty hammock!" Issei muttered to himself.

Koneko whacked him with her lobster. "See anything you liked, you big pervert?" she asked, a bit of edge in her deadpan voice.

"It's not what it looks like," he immediately defended, rubbing his head.

"Really?" I smirked, "cause it looked to me that you were ready to start snorting those like crack."

Asia opened the shower curtain at that moment. "Hey is that my bra?"

"I think he's gonna put it on and wear it around," Koneko stated.

"Oh please don't!" the blond ex-nun begged.

"Oh please do," I cackled. "I need something to put on Youtube for the sake of memes, and this would be gold!"

"It's not like that, it just happened to get caught on my face!" Issei yelled, blushing like a tomato while trying (and failing) to put the bra back on the line.

"I'm so sorry," Asia apologized, "I know we're visitors and I hate being in the way."

"No, it's fine." He glanced back at the line, his gaze turning pervy again. "In fact, having you around definitely has its perks…"

"I told you you should've hung the line in our room," I chided. "But did you listen? Nooooo." I sighed again. "I'll be so glad when Rias finds a spot for us to live."

About an hour later, and Rias was talking to Issei about how badly he needed to git gud with morning training. Koneko was playing a round of chess against Kiba while Asia and I looked at the various angel cards I'd collected for decks...or in her case, the artwork.

"Not only is she pretty," I told her, "but she's also disgustingly broken. The moment she hits the field, Iona locks out one color for your opponents. In other words, if you're playing a mono-colored deck, she can lock you out of the game."

"What set is it from?" she asked, mesmerized by the foil artwork.

"This one is from the From the Vault: Angels block. Originally, it was a Zendikar card. Either way, it's pretty, and pretty nasty."

My mind chose that moment to tune into Rias and Issei's conversation. "I'll come pick you up in the morning," Rias decided. "Five sound good?"

"No, that's nuts," Issei replied, before half heartedly backpedaling. "I mean, that sounds fun. Well, I'm off to pass out flyers." He turned and started walking out the door.

"Perfect, I'll see you soon." The moment the door closed, Rias turned her gaze to us. "So Asia, James. Let's have a talk about the sleeping arrangements."

Asia just looked at her curiously while my gaze narrowed slightly. _Well now, what shall we do from here?_ I figured this would be where she tells Asia that she'd be bunking with Issei and his family. But I wondered where she'd put me, as I doubted there was that much room in his house right now, and there wouldn't be until after Xenovia joined the group (not looking forward to her appearance).

* * *

"Anyone ever tell you you run like a schoolgirl?" Rias asked, following Issei as he ran from her bike.

"Yes, ma'am," he answered, heavily breathing, "people have been telling me that my whole life."

"Stop complaining. Come on, pick it up. I know you need some work done but this is pathetic. Hurry up."

"I think I'm gonna puke up my ballsack!"

They eventually made it near the park, where I was waiting for them. "That's it, Issei, pump! Pump! PUMP!" He flipped me off as I smirked at the next thing I was gonna say. "Think of a big, muscly Crossplayer chasing you!" His eyes widened as he let out a girish scream. Almost like a fire was lit, he sped up to the goal which was the tree near the playground. The moment he hit it, he collapsed to the ground in a ball, shivering in disgust. I had a feeling I knew who he thought of, but I had to ask. "Dude, what went through your head to give you that burst of speed?"

"Issei," Rias called, pulling up next to us, "are you alright?"

"Never...make me...see Miltan...again…" he muttered.

I gave her a shiteating grin. "He's fine." She sighed, shaking her head.

A minute later had me helping stretch him out with side-splits. I was pulling his arms and leaning back while holding his legs apart with my feet as wide as I could get him...which, honestly, wasn't much compared to what I was used to.

"Come on, Issei," I encouraged, "you gotta loosen up. Your mind, while important for everything else, is as not important in combat until you know how your piece works inside and out. Because you're a pawn, you need to be a jack-of-all-trades. You need to be able to tank hits, while being quick enough to avoid them, as well as have your magic at maximum potential. All of this, plus your ability to plan ahead and think on the fly is important."

A few minutes later, he was doing pushups with Rias on his back. "Remember," she ordered, "the stronger you get, the more powerful you are. The more powerful you are, the more you can accomplish."

"Yes ma'am!" Issei grunted. He counted out his pushups until he got the perverse grin on his face again. I could practically hear his thoughts about his current position. Apparently, Rias could feel it, because she smacked his lower back, causing him to collapse.

"Don't think I don't know you're having disgusting, sexually charged thoughts about me right now."

"Look, I can't help it, I'm a teenager. Every time I get within ten feet of a hot girl, I start thinking about what she looks like naked."

Rias started looking around. "Speaking of which, I wonder what's keeping her?"

"Who? I'll just imagine her naked too…"

"Only if you want my boot in your ass, bitch," I growled as Asia came running up to us.

"Hey guys, so sorry I'm late," she greeted as she ran. "I swear, I won't let it happen again. WAH!" Right as she finished her sentence, she tripped on her robe. She'd have fallen to the ground had I not caught her.

"Seriously, Asia," I chided lightly, "you need to started pulling your robe up when you run."

"I'm no good at running and talking at the same time," she groaned as she straightened up.

"That's why we're going to be doing our own kind of training when the perv's break is over."

She set the basket down on the bench and pulled out a cup and thermos. Issei sat next to her as she gave the cup/thermos lid to him and poured the tea inside for him. He thanked her and asked the question on his mind.

"What are you doing here, anyway?"

"Rias asked me if I could come," the blond replied, looking at the redhead in question.

"That true?" he asked his King. "Why would you do that?"

"Partly the same reason I'm here," I answered, noticing Rias spacing out. "While Asia and I still go to the school, we technically have no place to call home here. That's where Rias comes in." I gestured to her, finally getting her attention.

"Sorry, what were you saying?"

"Is everything alright?" Issei asked.

"You were spacing out pretty hard there," I added.

"It's nothing," she waved the concern off. "Now that everyone's here we should probably get going."

Issei tilted his head in suspicion and confusion. "Go? Go where?"

Rias smiled. "We're going to your house, of course."

* * *

I had thankfully been spared from a good chunk of Rias explaining how _both of us_ were moving in with Issei and his family by moving Asia's and my boxes of crap to our respective rooms. As much as I prided myself on my ability to live on my own, I fully admit I was glad to be able to not have to search for a new apartment. Call me crazy, but some Japanese were low key assholes to foreigners that didn't look professional on a daily basis. I blame it on fear of the language barrier as well as how some foreigners are built.

That said, it was a miracle that they actually had a spare bedroom for both of us to have our own room. I was just glad she only had four boxes worth of stuff to take up to her room. Meanwhile I had six...before you ask, yes, some of those were my Magic Cards that I picked up here. Shut up, it was only 3 booster boxes...and 5 fat packs...maybe 4 starter decks...and some deck builders toolkits...and a few gift boxes…

Long story short, my stuff took a little longer to get up to my room. When it was finally moved, I joined Rias and Asia on the couch across from Issei's parents for one of the most awkward conversations I've had yet.

"Sorry, what were your names again? James and...Eisha?" Issei's Dad asked nervously.

"Close, it's Asia," she replied calmly.

"Listen, you two," he sighed, "surely there's a better long term situation than moving in with us."

"The thing is," I countered, "Issei's helped us more than we could ever hope for, and we feel like we need to pay him back." At their confused gaze, I continued. "When we first got here, we didn't know what we were doing. Issei helped us learn how to act in this country and essentially took care of us when we needed it. It's only fair we do the same for him."

Issei looked between the two of us, amazed at how I phrased that. I couldn't tell if it was because of me saying it, or how much he thought I was able to BS to his parents (not that I was lying), but either way, he looked touched by the gesture.

"But if it's too much trouble we can always go and stay somewhere else," Asia finished for me.

"Oh we're not saying you can't stay here," Issei's Mom waved off. "Lord knows we have the room. It's just Issei's…"

"He's an abnormally horny child!" his father declared. "He's a pervert and he's not to be trusted!"

"Well put," his mother agreed.

"Come on, Dad," the perv protested, "how can you say that about your own son?"

"He's not wrong," I interjected, smirking. "When we first met, it took you five minutes before you stopped rambling about how big a girl's boobs were."

"Way to throw me under the bus, dude," he sulked.

"But if it makes you feel better," I continued, facing Issei's parents again, "we can help out around the house as much as we can."

The two of them seemed to consider the offer until Rias spoke up again. "It would be good training for Asia to become a good wife."

That basically sealed the deal for them and we were granted a place to stay. Complete with relieved tears from his parents that maybe getting married would get him to lay off the porn (though I doubted that part).

The talk of marriage, however, made Rias space out again. _Probably jealous that we're getting the option to choose our partners._

 _ **[Do you still think you have long before he shows up?]**_

 _I don't know. Time was always an awkward concept here. I thought Asia would've been excommunicated longer before we got here, but it was only a couple of days. Not to mention the added week before we fought for her Sacred Gear._

 _ **[Then give me an estimate.]**_

 _Probably two weeks to a month. After that, we'll have Kiba's deal with the stolen Excalibur pieces and Kokabiel._

 _ **[Then you need to up your training.]**_

* * *

It was later that night that saw me walking to another abandoned building, this one in Kuoh's warehouse district. After clearing the place out of Strays, I put my weapons away and stared at the ceiling. "Michael, I need to talk to you."

Behind me, the air shifted and rippled before an angel with two wings appeared before me. His helmet covered the upper half of his face, leaving two slit for him to see, and the light blue armor he wore covered his limbs and vitals just enough for protection, but not enough to limit mobility. He gave a short bow before speaking.

"Lord Michael is busy at the moment," he informed. "But I can take a message for you."

I rose an eyebrow, keeping my hands close to my weapons. "Who are you, then?"

"I'm a servant of Lady Gabriel," he saluted by placing a hand over his heart, "her Four of Hearts. My name is Johan."

I froze at that. _Does he mean Gabriel? As in the angel who helped Mary and Joseph through the beginning of Christ's life on earth? Isn't he supposed to be a guy?_

 _ **[Were you not already aware of this? It's mentioned in multiple spots in the fanfiction section.]**_

 _At the point I was in the series, the only angels we really knew of were Michael and Irina...I never read the manga at that point._

 _ **[Your lack of information seems to be fluctuating as time goes on.]**_

 _We just got to the end of Issei's fight against Sairaorg! And didn't I ban you from the fanfiction section?_

 _ **[Not my fault the door opened when you began thinking of information here.]**_

I shook my head and focused on the angel in front of me. If what he said was true, he'd most likely pass whatever I said onto Gabriel who would pass it onto Michael.

The sensing ability I developed made it easier to distinguish what people were supernatural, and more specifically, who was Fallen or Devil. The angel in front of me? He was something new. The energy I sensed from him was pure, calming, and warm. Not at all like the Fallens' twisted version of this energy, or the Devils' dark, cold version (like Issei or Rias). However, there was the part of me that doubted.

"You got anything to write with?" I asked. In response, the angel pulled out a pen and a piece of paper. _Surprisingly modern for what I've heard about Heaven._ "My message is this; 'There are details about my arrival I need answers for. Answers only you and one other can provide. First and foremost, how much do you know about where I come from? Once this has been answered will I know how to proceed. If you can't tell me, I will look to the other party in question for the information I need.' Did you get all that?"

Johan muttered to himself as he scribbled my message onto the page. "'...for the...information...I need…' Got it. Was there anything else?"

"'I await your quick response. Signed, James.' That's all."

He nodded. "I will get this to him as quickly as possible."

"Much appreciated, Johan. Thank you."

The angel nodded, then shimmered out again. Presumably to fly off to Heaven.

 _ **[Was that a wise decision?]**_

 _Unless he eavesdropped on my dream two years ago, I made sure it was vague enough to confuse anyone except Michael and the other party involved._

 _ **[Who might that be?]**_

 _The only other guy I know had something to do with this; Apollo._

 _ **[And how were you planning on getting his attention? He's not exactly great at his job, and if Zeus has anything to say about it, that brat's gonna be in the dog house for the next century for his little escapade to Heaven.]**_

I sighed again. _This leaves me with nothing but time. I wanted to talk to Michael to get more information about what he knows, but since he's busy, I'm stuck with nothing to do._

 _ **[Then let's use this opportunity to train your control.]**_ I frowned at that. As much as I wanted/needed to, something in my mind held me back. Like I couldn't stand what that implied for some reason. _**[It will help prevent another incident where you could die from your body breaking down on you.]**_

Flashes of my time being possessed by Alucard while fighting Freed rushed to the forefront of my mind. The taste of blood in my mouth; the weight of the large pistols in my hand as I fired, the disturbing cackling in the air as a miasma of darkness and eyes surrounded me like an aura; the-

 _ **CRASH!**_

I was never happier that there was a random box nearby to punch. It practically shattered into wooden splinters on impact.

"No," I grit out. "As much as it would be nice, I can't take any risks like that using the Hellsing forms."

 _ **[What are you saying?]**_

 _I'm banning myself from them. Until I can control my other powers with this gear, I'm not taking any risks. That also goes for unlocking other forms._

 _ **[How can you make progress when you won't allow yourself to grow?]**_

 _Simple, Phantasos._ I started walking out of the warehouse back to Issei's place. _I get creative with my current skill set._

* * *

 **A/N: So not much happened in this chapter, but honestly, with what I have planned, something like this was kind of needed. So while I'm not entirely proud of its length, I can say it's good for what it is; a transition to our next arc...and we all know where that's going.**

 **Anyways, Review, Follow, Favorite, and I'll see you all next time.**


	9. Notice

**Before you say anything, no it's not a chapter.**

 **With the recent week being one of the most stressful I've had yet, on top of trying to find a job that will help pay my bills, I'm getting nothing for my writing done anymore. You'd think I'd be able to write with all this free time I have, but because this week was Mother's Day Weekend, my mom has been going nuts trying to get bouquets made and delivered on time before ten more orders take their place. My mom's got a policy of 'if I'm not happy, nobody's happy,' and as such, her stress has been transferred to me every chance she gets.**

 **But this doesn't mean much. The holiday might be done, but this still leaves the status of this story. What's going to happen with it?**

 **To be honest, I'm not ready to call it quits on this one yet. However, one thing was made abundantly clear in the last few months. This archive is dying out. As such, I can't in good faith update a story that not many will read...this coming from a guy that has some obscure tastes in media...**

 **The worst part about this is, however, my biggest problem is how I burned myself out on DxD in general. After joining the discord server I'm still a part of, I got exposed to other opinions that helped to change my own perspective...as well as show just how badly other people's stupidity effects me. I'm not completely giving up on it, but much like American Noise, I'm putting this on the back burner until things straighten out and I find the drive to work on it again. I have plans for this story, but I need time to sort out my thoughts and start other projects to clear my head.**

 **PROJECTS I WILL BE WORKING ON.**

 **-The Neden Game (Monster Girl Quest/Okami X-over): Dude is pulled into the world of MGQ and given the powers of the Celestial Brush to do as much good as he can to the world's inhabitants while helping to stop Ilias from killing the humans and monsters.**

 **-A Demon's Fate (Magic the Gathering/Monster Girl Encyclopedia X-over): This is being worked on behind the scenes. It's slow, but the next chapter is coming.**

 **So for now, keep an eye out for my future updates/projects, and I will see you all next time.**


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